


The Shadow Soldiers

by Awesome4Ever



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Assassins & Hitmen, Corruption, Dragons, Fantasy, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-08-12 22:05:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 43,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7950907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awesome4Ever/pseuds/Awesome4Ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow the story of a young man trying to re-assemble a group of assassins called the Shadow Soldiers. Assembling all six members won't be easy and they'll be hunted the whole way, but he's doing this to help save the kingdom from itself, no matter what the cost. With the help of the Shadow Soldiers, he hopes he can do something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

In a time long ago a kingdom known as Hetalion was under attack from forces stronger than they could have ever imagined. But thank fully a secret order was created to protect the kingdom. This secret order was controlled by the king himself. This order was a band of handpicked assassins who were known The Shadow Soldiers, or The SS for short. They were made up six very different, very unique, very deadly people, all with their own special abilities. Their existence was kept a secret from the general public, but they knew of them from rumors started from who knows where. Stories were soon spread about them, tales of mass murders, stories of people just vanishing into thin air, and various other such rumors were spread far and wide through the kingdom and others as well.

They were indeed a force to be reckoned with, though no one actually knew WHAT they looked like because they struck at night and stuck to the shadows. No names were ever known, no one was even sure how many their were. But soon the kingdom came to an era of peace and their was no need for them anymore, so they disbanded and for ten long years, they've never seen each other.

Now you might be wondering where this story is going, right? Well this takes place after those ten years I just mentioned. In a small town off in the country, inside a small pub called, The Dragon's Den. Inside this pub, sitting at the bar was a young man. He had slicked back blonde hair, eyes as blue as the sky, and he was dressed in a white long sleeved shirt, a dark brown vest, and black pants. He was looking down at his drink and sighed a bit.

"Hey now, why so glum chum?" Standing at the bar was an older man with light brown hair tied in a low ponytail, forest green eyes, and a big bright smile on his face. He was currently cleaning a cup with a rag and trying to make some conversation. "You look a bit down ya know." He chuckles lightly.

He glanced up at the barkeep. "Well...it's nothing really. I'm just trying to think through some things is all, nothing to concern yourself about..." He shakes his head and took a slow sip from his mug. It was a good drink and he wipes the corner of his mouth. "...may I ask a question...?" He kept his head down, staring at his reflection in the liquid.

He smiles and nods, setting down the cup he was cleaning and the rag. "Sure thing! Now go on ahead and ask. As a barkeep I am here for information and secret keeping~" He winks and grins, giving off a light chuckle. "Now what's on your mind."

"Well...I am on a very...special mission you see...and I must ask...have you ever heard of..." He clears his throat and leans over a bit to whisper. "The Shadow Soldiers?"

His eyes went wide and he looks at him. "The...Shadow Soldiers...?" He taps his chin. "Hey! Everyone! This guy here wants to know about The Shadow Soldiers! Anyone know anything!" He calls out for all to hear.

The poor man turns around and blinks a few times, a light blush on his cheeks from embarrassment as everyone started to laugh and bang their hands on the table, fall over laughing, etc.

"The Shadow Soldiers?! Oh boy! You've been reading to many fairy tales kid! Hahahah! They don't exist!" One man shook his head.

"Oh yeah, they were just a tall tale! Even if they DID exist, who would want to go seeking out a bunch of murderers?" Another man shook his head and took a sip from his mug.

The barkeep chuckles and pat his shoulder. "No information huh? Well if you stay after I close up I'll help you out." He smiles and winks.

The man looks up at him and nods. "Thanks you sir." He clears his throat and held out his hand. "My name is Ludwig, and I thank you so much for this."

"The name's Henry, I'm glad I could help you out. Nice to meet you Ludwig." He grips his hand and gives it a nice firm shake.

So a few hours afters after that, Henry starts to close up shop, closing and locking the door, putting up chairs on tables, picking up any trash. Soon he sat down next to Ludwig and took a deep breath.

"Alright...so you're looking for The Shadow Soldiers now are ya? Tell me, why do you need to find them?" He chuckles lightly and smiles, looking at him.

Ludwig took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright...well you see, they're needed once more...I live in the capital...and things aren't going great..."

Henry tilts his head, still a bit confused. "What? What do you mean they're not going great?" He scratches the top of his head. "Like what exactly is going on over there?"

"Well...you see...their seems to be some sort of...corruption going on in the castle...taxes being raised through the roof, people disappearing in the middle of the night and never coming back, people being forced in the military, it's just all gone to hell..."

Henry nods slowly and rubs his chin. "So it's true...I've heard rumors of such things happening..." He hums softly and leans back. "So...why in search of The Shadow Soldiers. How do you know they even exist?"

"Well...I've heard plenty of stories and rumors. My father even told me he had a glimpse of them...though it was dark and they were running away from something, but he knows their were six of them and that they're real. I know if I can find them, they can help the kingdom go back to the way it was! I don't know HOW but I know they can help! They use to work for the Kingdom, right? So they must know how to help! Or...something..." He rubs his head and sighs heavily.

Henry chuckles lightly and rubs his back. "So...you're on a mission to find The SS to try and help the empire, huh? A group of ex assassins coming back together to try and set right everything they protected all those years ago..." He rubs his chin and hummed. "I don't see the down side to that." He grins and laughs.

Ludwig blinks and looks at him. "Really? You think they'll help...? Even after all these years?" He had a look of hope in his eyes.

"Oh yeaaahhhh! I'm sure they'll be all for it! So you say their are six, huh?" He winks and chuckles.

Ludwig blinks and nods. "Yes. Though I'm not actually sure if that's true, that's just what my father told me..." He rubs his chin and hums.

He slaps his back and laughs. "Well your dear old dad was right! Their are indeed six of us! Man I haven't seen any of 'em in so long!"

Ludwig grunts a bit and looks confused. "Wait...'us'? You mean you're...you're one of them?!" He stood up, his eyes wide and surprised at the news.

Henry blinks and nods. "Oh yeah! For sure! Though back in the day I wasn't called Henry. We had nicknames, which I thought were cool. I was known as Draco!" He grins and winks.

"Wait...Draco...? Why is that?" He tilts his head a bit confused.

"Well...you see...as a Shadow Soldier, we each had a special ability of such or weapon or whatever about us. Meaning, we weren't normal. I for instance actually have a dragon friend." He chuckles and winks.

His eyes went wide. "What...? You can't! Dragons have been extinct for hundreds of years!" He couldn't possibly have a dragon! Dragons were hunted to extinction long ago.

Henry shook his head and his finger. "Nuh uh uh~! That's what they want you to think. But I can't tell you to much. He smiles and sets his index finger and thumb in his mouth then whistles.

Then from the ceiling, something woke up that was sleeping on the beams and spread its wings and flew down, landing on his head. It was small red dragon, no bigger than 10-inches long, who roared, though it sounded adorable. He blinks and tilted his head. He had mostly red scales with beige colored ones on his stomach and lower jaw. His wingers were folded on his back and he had a small horn sticking out where his nose is.

Ludwig tilted his head, a bit confused. "That's a dragon...? It's so small." He moved a little closer and tried to poke it. The little guy growls and snaps his jaw at his finger, making him jerk it back.

"Please don't try and like poke him and stuff. He's not good around strangers. Of course he's small! I can't have a full grown dragon in my pub! That would drive away business! Besides, he NEEDS to be small! His name is Argon. He's a sweet little guy~" He rubs the top of the dragon's head who smiles and wags his tail.

Before Ludwig could say anything, the door was kicked in by a man wearing a heavy suit of armor, a big smirk on his face and spiky brown hair.

Argon quickly burrowed his way under Henry's hair to hide himself as Henry smiles and waves. "Sorry sir, but we're closed for the day. If you want a drink you'll have to come by tomorrow."

"Save it. I don't have time for this." He took out a sheet of brown paper with Henry's face drawn on it. "This is you, isn't it?" It said WANTED over the top of the paper and had a reward on the bottom if returned to the kingdom's capital, dead or alive.

Henry blinks a few times. "Well...that is ME but...why am I on a wanted poster...? What did I do!"

The man snorts and starts to laugh. "What haven't you done? You're wanted by the King himself! This morning wanted posters were given to each Divine Guard, six posters each. Who might these six people be? The six people known know as The Shadow Soldiers. That's right, your identities are know longer a secret! You're ALL wanted by the kingdom! Dead or alive!" He grins.

Henry blinks a few times. "Really? So you mean to tell ME that all my ex companions are now going to be hunted down and either captured or killed for no real reason?"

"No real reason? You've all killed thousands of people in your vicious reign! It's now time that you paid for your sins! You're going to be hunted down by every Divine Guard their is! So give up NOW or else!" He stomps his foot and growls.

Henry scratches his head and chuckles lightly. "Really? Vicious reign? We worked for the kingdom you know, but after all that it's turned on us huh? Well...we kinda saw this coming." He smiles. "It was nice living a normal life while it lasted~" He winks and chuckles lightly. "Alright Argon...I think it's time we have a little fuuuun~" Argon pokes his head out from his hair.

Ludwig blinks and shook his head. "He-hey! Come on! This doesn't need to get violent!" He stood between the two.

"Oh shut up! You're all going down! And I am going to be the one who ends you! I am of the newly formed royal guard! We were formed about eight years ago! We're known as the Divine Guards!"

Henry tilts his head a bit, looking confused. "Divine...Guards? You keep saying that but I don't know what that is...do you Argon?" Argon blinks a few times and moves to his shoulder and shook his head.

Ludwig cleared his throat. "I can help with that. You see, the Divine Guards are a special elite force hand picked by the king himself. They are suppose to protect the kingdom and the king, but now a days they're just bullies who like to mess with the people of the kingdom."

The spiky haired man rolled his eyes. "Whatever! I'm just here to take on this...Draco guy! You know that little dragon of yours will fetch a fine price~" He grins and rubs his chin. "Once I kill you both I'll just take him to earn some extra money."

Henry chuckles lightly and held out his hand towards Argon who climbed on it. He was slightly bigger then Henry's hand but fit perfectly in it. "Draco...haven't been called that in a real long time...I promised myself I'd lead a nice normal life...but it seems I'm being forced out of retirement...alright Argon. Looks like we're going back to business." He chuckles. "Now why don't we take this outside? More room that way. You best stay in here Ludwig, where it's safe."

Ludwig looks a bit confused as he looked at Henry. "But...I can help you know! Don't count me out!"

The guard snorts and turns around. "Alright lets go." He walks outside and Henry follows him. Ludwig stays inside, but watched from the open door.

Outside, about a hundred other knights were surrounding them. Henry whistles and chuckles. "Brought some back up huh? Now I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you don't know to much about me and why I earned the name Draco."

"No, but I'm sure with this many Knights here, we can take you down!" He grins. "Ready men!" He yells and they all cheer and raised their swords.

Henry smirks and starts to laugh. "Oh boy...this isn't gonna be pretty for you all..." He lifts up Argon by his tail and leans his head back.

They all look on being confused and blinks, staring at him. "What...are you?"

Henry opens his mouth and drops Argon in his mouth and swallows.

"GAH! EW!" All the guards made gagging noises and covered their mouths. Ludwig gags a bit and groans, he honestly did not see that coming.

"What the hell?! Did you think you could protect him in your stomach?! Ew! That was gross! come on!" The Divine Guard shakes his head in disgust.

Henry smirks. "Now lets go." A bright light was coming from Henry's chest, in the shape of a dragon. It blinded everyone and soon Henry starts to grow bigger, red scales started to cover his body, dragon wings spread out of his back, beige scales covered his stomach and lower jaw. His eyes shining an emerald green.

When the light disappear they all looked up. thirty feet tall, a bit round in the belly, dark red scales covered the body with beige ones located on the stomach and lower jaw. He had spikes going along his spine and down to the tip of his tail, a horn sticking up where his nose is, and two bull-like horns coming off the head. He wore a furred loin cloth and wrist cuffs. He had a war hammer that had a handle made out of a hard thick wood, the head was made of steel, and on one side of the head was a hammer and on the other side it looked like the blade of an axe. He let out a cloud of steam from his nostrils.

The air was silent as they all stared up at the dragon humanoid creature. Ludwig was amazed and now understood how he managed to get his nickname.

He grinned. "You all look surprised!" He spoke in a loud deep voice. "Now do you understand? The powers of a Shadow Soldier are great! Don't go underestimating any one of us!" He laughs and smirks. "Now...how about I give you have seconds to leave, or ELSE!"

The Divine Guards gulped and growled. "Don't...don't worry! We can take him! Lets go!" CHARGE!"

The knights all cheer and charg forward. Henry shook his head and spread his wings and took off into the air, causing a hard gust of wind to knock them back. He laughs as he flies around and inhales deeply before letting out a stream of fire, from his mouth.

Ludwig's eyes went wide as he slammed the door shut. He took a deep breath, leaning against it. He couldn't believe what he saw...this was the power of one of The Shadow Soldiers...he could heard screams coming from the knights were being burned alive.

"Hahah!" He drops down to the ground, causing it to shake as well as landing on a few knights, crushing them to death. "I will give you all to the count of five to leave this place!"

The guard grit his teeth. "FIRE YOUR ARROWS!"

Some of the knights took out bows and arrows and started to fire them at Henry. He inhales deeply and releases a stream of fire, burning up the arrows. "ONE!" He starts to count.

"Come on! Attack his legs!" He points forward.

They charge, swords raised, ready to cut and hack at his legs. Henry spreads his wings and jumps up into the air. "TWO!" He folds his wings and drops down on the ground, crushing more knights with his rear end. "THREE!"

"This guy is...unbeatable..." He grits his teeth. What could he do?! He was huge, strong, and merciless! Their was only one thing he could do. "RETREAT! RETREAT NOW!"

The knights took no time in running away. Once he was sure they were all heading out he was about to run but was caught in Henry's grasp and picked up. He gulps and struggled in his grasp.

"Now I have one more question..."

He was shaking and his teeth chattering.

Ludwig took a few deep breath and slowly opens the door. Henry was dusting himself off, his little dragon propped on his shoulder. "Okay! So, it seems our adventure starts here buddy. First, we have to find out leader." He winks. "Lets get going!"

Ludwig blinks and nods, slowly stepping out of the pub. Henry's clothes looked good as new, not torn or anything. "Right...lets go!"

Henry grins and put a CLOSED sign on the door. He turns on his heels and points forward. "Alright! We're off to find THE SHADOW SOLDIERS!"

"Ah...since it's a bit late, shouldn't we get some rest...?" Ludwig asked, sweatdropping a bit.

Henry blinks and chuckles a bit nervously. "Er...right! First sleep! THEN we head out! First thing in the morning!" Henry grins and puffs out his chest.

Ludwig nodded and smiled lightly. "Yes sir!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'd like to welcome you all to my newest fanfiction! I've been working on this for awhile and hope you all enjoy it! I took concepts from two animes, The Seven Deadly Sins and Akame Ga Kill. If you've seen either of them, you might notice some similarities! So I hope you all enjoyed chapter 1! I'm not 100% sure on the update date, but I think this'll be once every two weeks!
> 
> Ludwig: Germany  
> Henry: Male!Hungary


	2. Chapter 2

Ludwig was on a mission to reunite the Shadow Soldiers in order to help bring back the kingdom to its former glory. He found one of the Shadow Soldiers, Henry, formally known as Draco. Together with him, they were on their way to try and find the others. But their journey would soon prove one not to be such an easy one.

"Sir! SIR!" The Divine Guard from before, who managed to survive, ran straight into the throne room of the castle of the king. He panted and set his hands on his knees. "S-sir! I have...te-terible ne-news!"

Sitting up on the throne, about a foot off the ground with stairs located on the sides, was the king. He had shaggy blonde hair, big bushy eyebrows, and eyes as green as emeralds. He raised a brow, staring down at the man. "What the bloody hell is it?"

"Si-sir! The-they're back! They're coming BACK!" He panted as he fell to his knees, bowing in front of his king. "It seems a young man is going to reunite The Shadow Soldiers. They already have one, Draco! He killed over half of my men!"

His eyes went wide and he stands up. "What?! Someone is trying to reunite those band of murderers?! Bloody hell! This isn't good! Gather all the Divine Guards! NOW! THIS is an emergency meeting!" He stomped his foot, gritting his teeth.

"Yes your highness." He ran off to go gather the other Divine Guards.

The king groans and sits down, rubbing his temples. "No...this can't be happening...damn it!"

Back with Henry and Ludwig, Ludwig looked down at the ground, trying to think things through and gather what has happened the previous day. "So...Mr. Henry, where exactly are we going...?" He asked, tilting his head a bit as Henry pointed forward.

"Well...like I said, we first need to find the leader of our band of murderers." He chuckles lightly. "Now as for where that might be, I think I have a goooood idea. That Divine knight helped me out. Right Argon?" He chuckles lightly and looked at his dragon that rested on his shoulder.

Ludwig blinked and looked a bit confused as he looked at him. "What...?"

Flashback

"So...Mr. Divine Guard, do you know where I'm suppose to find my friends?" He snorted a little smoke in his face from his nostrils. holding the Divine Guard in a tight fist.

He gulped, hard, his teeth chattering a little bit. "Wha-what makes you think I-I'll tell you so-something as vital a-as that!" He glares at him.

"Oh? Feeling a bit high and mighty? Well I can always squeeze you ya know." He tightens his grip around him a little, making it hard to breath for him.

He grits his teeth and nods a bit. "Fi-fine! If...you must know...we know...that your leader, The Black Death, is living off in the next two towns over...we currently have the one dubbed Farkas, in custody..."

"Custody?" He raised a brow, tightening his grip around him a little bit more, causing bones and organs to constrict.

He coughed out a little bit. "I-In Dunlind Pr-Prison!" He grit his teeth and let out a breath as the grip was loosened. "W-we don't know currently know the whereabouts of the rest of them! I swear to you!"

"Hmmm..." He rubbed his chin in thought and nodded. "Thanks! You were a big help, here let me give you a lift home." He rears back his arm.

"H-hey! Wait! No! Don't you da-AAAHHHH!" He yells as he was then thrown far far away.

"And that's what happened." Henry grins and crosses his arms. Argon nods and wags his tail.

Ludwig blinks a few times. "Oh...well, we should get your leader as soon as we can! It's only a matter of time before the Divine Guards start their hunt!" He nods.

Henry chuckles and sets his hands in his pockets. "Right...but before that, we need to make a small detour..."

"Detour...? Where? What for? Shouldn't we go and try to help out the others as soon as we can?" He asked, clenching his fists a bit, wanting to go and find the leader as soon as they can so they can find the rest.

Henry shakes his head and hums a bit, squinting his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm sure once they catch wind of what's going on they'll bring out their old gear...just like me...we knew this would happen one day...so try not to under estimate us so much, alright?" He chuckles and grins. "Ahah!" He runs over to an old oak tree and smiles down at the pile of leaves in front of it.

"Where are we exactly...?" He looks up at the old oak tree and tilts his head a bit.

"This is wear I hid aaaall my old stuff..." He looks at Argon who hops off his shoulder and starts to dig into a pile of leaves. "I need my weapon and my old outfit. If we're bringing the gang back together, then I need my old uniform. Who KNOWS what kind of trouble we're gonna get in to! Just like old times." He looks up fondly at the memories.

Argon pokes his head out from the hole and smiles. He looks up at Henry who held out his hand for him to climb on. His little dragon friend crawls up his arm and rests on his shoulder. Henry reaches down into the leaf pile that was deeper than it looked and pulled out a treasure chest. "This here is all my old gear." He blew on it, wiping away the dust.

"Old gear?" Ludwig raises a brow, looking a bit confused at the moment. He watches as Henry opens up the chest with a nostalgic smile on his face as he looks inside.

"Oh yeah...my gear." He first pulls out a leather chest plate with a dragon symbol on it, with some sort of ancient writing scribbled around the dragon and inside of it. He then pulls out a spiked leather collar as well. He reaches down deeper and grins big as he pulled out a much smaller version of the war hammer he had when he was a dragon humanoid.

"You actually have that? As a weapon?" Ludwig asked, tilting his head a bit. He noticed it on his back when he...transformed.

He nods and grins. "Oh yeah~! My precious war hammer! I have the big size for my dragonoid form and my regular human form. Both have the same abilities, just different sizes. I can control earth elements with this baby. Now to change!" Argon flaps his wings and flew off his shoulder. Henry whistles as he takes off his vest and shirt, slipping on his leather chest plate and wraps the leather spiked collar around his neck. He pulls out a pair of furry shorts and took off his pants slipping them on. Lastly, his boots with the fur around the top. He slips them on and nods then grins, puffing out his chest. "Ah, perfect~! My old gear!" Argon flew up and landed on his head as he slips on his special carrying strap for his weapon.

Ludwig blinks and stares at him before nodding. "Right, now that you've got your old uniform, do you think we can go and help the others?" He raises a brow, a bit eager to get going. They could all be in danger as we speak and he didn't want to keep them waiting!

Henry nods and sighs. "Yeah yeah, we can get going, lets go. You know, you're a really bossy guy. We were all assassins you know. Don't worry so much about them." He chuckles and turns on his heel. "Alright, first off, the next town! We should get some food!" He points froward, stomach growling.

Ludwig nods. "Right, we should reach there by nightfall, before anymore Divine Guards try and come after you again. Maybe it would be wise to try and stay away from people..." He rubs his chin in thought.

Henry shakes his head. "Don't worry! Stealth is my middle name! I use to be an assassin you know. I'll manage to stay out of sight~" He winks and grins. "Now lets get going!" He laughs and marches onward.

Ludwig blinks a few times and nods. "Alright, lets go..." He started to walk, holding his hands behind his back and looking down. He had a lot of questions on his mind. Since they were going to be traveling together for awhile, maybe he could get a few answers. "So...Henry, how exactly did this group form?" He asked, glancing back at him.

Henry looks up and rubs his chin in thought. "Oh yeah...well first, lets go back, back twenty years! Back when the kingdom was in a major war with the kingdom to the east of us. We'd been in war with them for two years by then...the old king was having a tough time trying to figure out what to do...they were slowly started to get closer and closer to the capital. So he asked his advisers what he should do and one of them suggest some sort of elite force that would take down the enemy quickly, brutally, and most of all without being noticed. A special small elite team to strike fear into our enemies! The king like the idea and so he found our leader!"

Ludwig was listening with baited breath and tilts his head a bit. "How did he come in contact with your leader exactly?" He asked, extremely curious.

Henry chuckles and looks up, trying to think. "Well...you see, their were rumors about a young warrior who took down eight big strong men in one blow. So the king summoned our leader there and so gave specific instructions to create the most elite team of assassins that they could find within one month. I know, one month? Surely not enough time! Oh but our leader did it! Within that one month, their were a total of six of us~" He chuckles lightly and grins.

"Oh...if you don't mind me asking...how did your leader find you?" Ludwig tilted his head, more interested in this story and wants to know more.

Henry crosses his arms and hums in thought. "Oh man...that takes me back...well...by that time...when she first met me, I had been with Argon for five years...I was still learning to control my power and transformation when I swallowed him, so I spent a year in that form, gaining control and not losing myself in the intense savage nature and overwhelming sense of power and superiority..."

~o~o~o~o~

20 years ago, standing in front of the large mouth of a cave, a hooded figure stood, staring into it, glowing red eyes glaring back, a puff of smoke coming out and causing the hooded one to cough a little, but they were undeterred.

"Who goes there?" The deep booming voice came from the cave. "Go away, you're not wanted here.

"You're the one they refer to as Draco, correct?" The figure asked, a bit of curiosity dripping from their voice.

A soft hum vibrated from the cave as he answered. "And what if I am? Have you come to try and slay me? Many have tried and failed, so I suggest you turn around and leave...if you know what's good for you human." Suddenly he reached out and slammed down his war hammer in front of the human. The hammer slamming on the ground caused it to quake and shake. The range of the earthquake was quite large, birds flew into the sky and animals scurried away.

A strong gust of wind blew the cloak they were wearing, but the hood was well held on to. Still undeterred the hooded figure spoke once more. "I am not here for a fight. I am here but to ask a simple question. I'm sure you're aware of the certain war going between the two kingdoms?"

"Yes, I am quite aware of such...now what does that have to do with me?" The hammer was picked up and pulled back into the cave, interest perked up a bit.

"An elite assassination force is being put together by the king himself. I have been entrusted in creating the perfect team, you're going to be part of it."

A loud laugh erupted out from the cave, causing the ground to lightly tremble. "Now why would you think I'd do something as help you humans?"

"Because I know you are one."

The laughing stopped and a low growl came out from the cave. "What? How would you know such information? You're talking crazy. I'm no human! I am a dragon! The last of my kind!"

"I know many things sir Draco, but I know you're not an actual dragon. You are a dragon on the outside, but on the inside, you're human. Your sense of thinking and reactions to everything are all human. I'm not sure how this is possible, but I won't ask as that is your business and we just met. But, I believe your abilities and power shall come in handy. Now, would you except my offer and join? Help the kingdom? Maybe even learn to try and control this ability of yours?"

Another puff of smoke left the cave as the glowing red eyes closed and a few seconds later, a small dragon crawled out, growling lightly before being picked up by the tail by who we know to be as Henry, in what he calls his 'old fighting gear'. "So...what exactly will we be doing?"

A small smile crossed the hooded figures features as they turned around, cape fluttering behind them. "Follow me, you shall be informed on the way."

~o~o~o~o~

Henry chuckles lightly as he rubs his chin at the distant memory. "And that my friend is how I met our leader...it's been awhile since I've thought about it to be honest..." Argon makes a squeaking like noise and crawled up on Henry's head. Henry chuckles and rubs Argon under his chin, making his tail wag back and forth.

"Wow...that's one amazing story...did you actually think you were a dragon?" He tilts his head a bit.

Henry shakes his head a little. "Naaahhh. I knew I wasn't a REAL dragon, but that's just what I told everyone. They either got scared and ran off or tried to slay me. Then once they got a good look at me, they'd run away. Got people to leave me alone as I learned to control myself. But I learned much faster once I had joined the Shadow Soldiers!" He grins and throws his arms up.

Ludwig nods slowly. "I see...such an interesting history..." He rubs his chin in thought and nods. "Do all the members of the Shadow Soldiers have such interesting stories on how they met your leader?" He looks at him, wonder in his eyes and curiosity.

"Oh you bet. I'm sure once we get each member you can ask them yourself! Because I'm not to sure myself to be honest..." He rubs the back of his head, chuckling lightly.

Ludwig nods in understanding. They sure were an interesting group, that's for sure. It was sometimes hard to believe this happy go lucky man use to be some cold blooded assassin. "Now, who else do we need to find exactly? I know their are six members, but who are they?"

"Oh! Well since their are six of us in total and you found me, Draco, we also need The Black Death, our leader. Farkas, the grumpiest guy you'll ever meet, who is at a prison somewhere. Pyro, our explosives expert and fire starter, but he's super nice. Doctor, who was the teams doctor of course, but he we called him Doc for short, really sweet and nice though a bit strange at times. Then lastly Diablo, the troublemaker and prankster of the group, but the sneakiest one of us and probably the most bloodthirsty.

Ludwig rubs his chin in thought and nods slowly. "I see...they all have such interesting nicknames...I can't wait to meet these brilliant minds! I know with all your help, we will be able to help the kingdom back to its former glory!" Ludwig nods.

Henry laughs and jumps up. "Oh yeah! And nothing is gonna get in our way!" He grins and throws his arms up and cheers as well as Argon who let out a small battle cry. The small dragon lets out a small stream of fire from his mouth.

~o~o~o~o~

Back at the castle, Arthur was walking down the hallway worry and fear spread across his face, hands behind his back, muttering to himself. He knew the Shadow Soldiers were coming for him and going to ruin his plans! So he devised to create the most powerful team of Divine Guards he could! He inhales deeply and stands in front of the doors of his game room. Arthur had control of exactly one hundred Divine Guards. So out of that hundred he hand picked the six strongest guards after much deliberation. These six were in this room, waiting for the king to come in and explain what they were doing there.

One was playing darts, another playing a game of pool, one was just reading, another sitting at the bar and drinking, one was currently enjoying a snack, and lastly one was sitting in a comfy chair and simply waited patiently for some sort of explanation.

The doors slam open and Arthur smiles at all six of them and looks around. "Ahhhh I'm glad you all could make it! I have called you all here for a very special reason!" He grins and rubs his hands together as he walks inside and the doors slowly close behind him, closing with a soft clique.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! I know I did. The next chapter is actually one of my favorites and I had a great time writing it. I know you probably have a lot of questions like 'Who are the rest of the Shadow Soldiers? Who has the king gathered in the game room?' well you'll have to read and find our for yourselves! No spoiling! Hope you enjoyed, remember to read, review, favorite, and/or follow!
> 
> Arthur: England


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur smiles and looks between them. "Hello all! I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here today, yes?" He chuckles lightly, rubbing his hands together.

A snort came out from a tanned man with auburn hair, a strange cowlick sticking out from his head. His eyes were as red as the billiard ball he was trying to knock in the hole with the white one. "Sure thing kingy, but one minute." He licks his lips as slams the pole at the white ball, making it roll and hit the solid red colored red, rolling in the hole. "Hahah! YES!" He throws up his arms. He didn't have a shirt, showing off his six pack and muscles, but he DID have a hooded cape that resembled a fox with a tail at the end, and when the hood was pulled up, it resembled a fox head. It was nice and furry on the outside and on the inside it was laced with a silk lining. He wore a pair of tattered pants and no shoes. Holding up his pants was a belt with a fox head carved into it.

"You should be more respectful comrade. He is being the king after all." Throwing darts at the dart board was a fairly tail man, standing six feet. He threw a dart, hitting the bulls eye with deadly accuracy. He had ash blonde hair and the most beautiful violet eyes you ever did see. An old grey scarf was wrapped around his neck. He had a long black coat and dark brown pants as well as heavy boots on.

Arthur shakes his head. "No no it's fine, I'm sure practicing his pool shot is MUCH more important..." He rolls his eyes. "And how are you doing over there." He looked towards the proper looking man reading his book.

He glances up, looking over his glasses with his violet eyes. He wore an ascot with his brown vest and long white button up shirt. He had tight dark brown pants and shining black shoes. Their was a sword attached to his hip with a cross on the sheath. He ran his hand through his slightly wavy brown hair that had a strange curl sticking up. He closes his book as he puts a bookmark in it. "I suppose I'm doing fine, but I would be doing better if it were quiet and I could do some more reading."

Arthur hums. "Right...of course..." He sighs shaking his head. "Anything else anyone wishes to tell me? Anything at all!" He looks around the room.

A laugh comes over from the bar, sitting on a chair with a small hat with two ribbons hanging off of it. A small tooth pokes out of his mouth as he took a sip from his class of vodka. "I got nothing to complain about king! Nice selection of alcohol. This is what makes me happy." He chuckles. He had shaggy brown hair and eyes as red as a red velvet cupcake. He wore a red jacket that had white and red stripes over the cuffs of the jacket. He also wore black leather gloves. He grins down at what seemed to be a mini dragon with pale blue scales, his head having more jagged and sharp looking edges coming off of it. It looks up at the man and crawls up on his arm and gets comfy on his shoulder.

"Hm, well at least that's good to hear..." He mutters under his breath and glances at the last two. "Anything either of you would like to add?" He tilts his head a bit.

"No, I would just appreciate learning as to why we were brought here." This one was a woman with short blonde hair and eyes as blue as the ocean. Their was a mace strapped to her back and she wore a black t-shirt and green pants. She had her arms crossed and was sitting up straight. She has an air of seriousness around her.

The last to one was a young man with short brown hair and a strange curl coming off the left side of his head. He was currently eating a plate of pasta, napkin tucked in his blue button shirt, making sure not to drop any pasta sauce on his brown pants. "Nope~! I'm good!" He smiles. He was in a simple long sleeved button up blue shirt, and long brown pants.

Arthur nods. "Alright! Now that you're all here, it's time we get down to business..." He takes his seat in a chair. "Allen, Ivan, Roderich, Vladimir, Monika, and Feliciano. I've brought you all here today to help me deal with a problem...I'm sure you've all heard of the Shadow Soldiers?" He glances around the room as everyone froze and looks at him with much interest, practically begging him to continue.

Allen, who was playing pool, starts to laugh and smirks. "Who hasn't heard of them? A secret organization put together by the king about twenty years ago? Every Divine Guard knows about them. They're super strong and even more deadly...oh what it would be to fight one of 'em..." He chuckles and lines up his next shot.

"Da, they were being very strong I hear back in day. Killing thousands possibly even millions over the years they served under the king." Ivan took out the darts he threw from the dart board. "Though they disbanded and no one is sure where they are now..."

Arthur chuckles and nods. "Oh yes, quite, but we do have one of them in custody in one of our prisons. Seems not to long after they disbanded he went out and attacked a Divine Guard or something and got sent to prison. Seems he's been in there since because of how severe and brutal it was...as for the rest, well we're not sure..."

Roderich raises a brow, holding his book close. "Oh yes...they had a demon on that team didn't they...or so that's what I've heard..." He rubs his chin and sets his hand on the handle of his sword. "That vile beast named Diablo..." His voice drips with disdain as he said the name.

Vladimir hums and leans back in his seat before turning around, tapping his chin in thought. "I remember those stories...they had one called Draco, didn't they?" He chuckles and smirks, looking over at his dragon who growls a little bit. "I know you remember."

"But the question still remains, why are we here?" Monika asked, with a raised brow and looking at the king. "We all of course know about the Shadow Soldiers, but why have you gathered us here?"

Arthur chuckles and nods. "Right...well it seems someone is bringing them back together and they're coming HERE! Now what I need you all to do is band together and hunt them down and eliminate them."

Allen snickers and then starts to laugh really loud. "Wha-what?! You're seriously asking us t-to go out...and kill the Shadow Soldiers? Really? Because if yes, then I'm sooooo in for it~" He grins and crosses his arms.

Ivan chuckles, throwing one more dart, hitting it dead center. "Oh? Well if it is being the king's orders then how can I refuse?" He smirks a bit.

"I have one question..." Monika raised her hand, crossing her arms. "Now how do you know they're coming here of all places? Weren't they a secret order run by the old king himself? Why would they join once more to try and attack the empire?" She raises a brow, more curious than anything and may be a bit skeptical. "Plus, didn't you already send out an order to all Divine Guards anyways?"

Arthur sighs and crosses his arms. "Well it's a fair question and I expected someone to ask. I know the kingdom isn't as it use to be. It's a bit corrupted now a days, more senseless deaths and battles, and taxes being raised, money hoarding, things like that. People think I've turned a blind eye! Or that I haven't noticed...well the truth is I am well aware! I do wish to do something, but I have much bigger things I need to take care of...things that worry me greatly..." He looks off to the side and shakes his head. "I am aware of my order, but I figured selecting the strongest Divine Guards I have and putting them on the distinct mission of taking them down would help and give a much stronger advantage." He smiles, puffing out his chest a bit. "Now! I hope you all understand? Will you be accepting your mission?" He raises a brow.

Allen laughs and crosses his arms. "Damn straight."

Ivan smiles and nods. "But of course your highness~" He chuckles lightly.

Monika nods. "If it is your will, then I must agree your majesty."

Roderich hums and nods. "Ja ja, yes of course your higness."

Feliciano grins big and nods. "Siiii~! If that's what you want then it's what we'll do~"

Vladimir grins big and nods. "Sounds good to me your highness!"

Arthur sighs happily and nods. "Good! Now I'm sure you all will get along nicely. Now I shall leave you all to do as you want. Just make sure you eliminate those Shadow Soldiers!" With that Arthur left.

Ivan clears his throat and smiles, holding his hands behind his back. "Well, I am hoping we will be able to be working together."

Monika nods. "Now, where exactly do we start? Since we know the whereabouts of two of them..." She mumbles a bit. "And one is traveling with someone...how should we go about this?"

Allen laughs and howls. "I wanna take down that Farkas! I here he's super strong! He's big, he's tough, and when I take him down I'll be the one who gets that title!" He laughs and stands up on the pool table, snickering.

"Honestly, will you calm down and get off the table like that? You're behaving like a wild animal. You ARE a Divine Guard aren't you? Have some dignity." Rocerich stands up, sighing and shaking his head.

Allen blinks and jumps down from the table and walks over to him, glaring at him and growling. "You got a problem with me? Huh, book worm? I can take you down right now if I wanted to."

He raises a brow, hand slowly reaching to grab the hilt of his sword, eyes narrowing. "I wouldn't suggest starting anything with me."

"Hey! Wait! Calm down you two! We're all friends here!" Feliciano waves his arms around, standing between them. "Shouldn't we hurting the Shadow Soldiers instead of each other?" Feliciano asks, tilting his head a bit.

Ivan walks over, standing next to them, a cold aura radiating from him. "He is being the right you know. We are all comrades here, so calm down."

The two look at one another and turn away from each other, crossing their arms. Though Roderich stuck his nose up in the air for extra measure.

Vladimir chuckles lightly as he leans his back against the bar top as he watches them. "This should be a fun group, right Artemis?" The dragon on his shoulder nods and smiles up at him.

Monika clears her throat. "But before we do anything, I think it's important we figure out a leader...I think it would make things easier if someone took charge and all."

Ivan rubs his chin in thought and nods. "You are quite right...it would be much easier to have designated leader..."

Feliciano jumps up and down, waving his arms around. "Oh oh! I vote Ivan the leader!" He grins.

Monika nods in agreement. "I also think that would be the best choice."

Vlad pops up next to Monika. "I also vote yes! Seems like a brilliant idea! Besides out of all of us, he's probably the most powerful."

Ivan blinks a few times an chuckles, waving his hand. "Oh come now, you're going to make me blush. Come now, I'm not that strong you know." He blushes lightly, hiding behind his scarf.

Roderich adjusts his glasses, looking at a book he picks up. "Ivan The Ice King can be categorized as one of the strongest members of the kings royal army, or Divine Guards. His most notable achievement is defeating the Volkin army five years ago in mere seconds with one wave of his hand. An army of approximately twenty thousand men." Roderich shuts his book.

Allen whistles and chuckles. "Well if you're that strong, then I'm all for you being the leader."

Ivan gives a soft chuckle and clears his throat. "Well, if you're all going to agree, then I will take my role as leader very seriously. I say, for now, we sit down, get to know each other a little bit. Then we figure out our plan of action." He crosses his arms.

So after gathering in a circle, they start to introduce themselves and gie a little information to better understand one another to work more efficiently as a team.

Allen grins. "My name is Allen~ I have this special belt here." He grips the buckle of the belt. "That lets me turn into a werefox. There are quite a few of these things made and all have different animals on them. I gain all the advantages of a fox, even in my human stat, such as I'm stealthy, can jump really high, have retractable claws, can see in the dark, great sense of smell, and I can run up to thirty miles per hour!" He puffs out his chest and grins. "I really love a good fight, especially when I win. Before being a Divine Guard, I went out looking for fights and was even apart of a fight club for the longest time." He sits down.

Roderich rolls his eyes and clears his throat as he stands up next. "My name is Roderich. I am a very smart man and have been known for my excellent sense of strategy as well as sword fighting skills. I use my holy sword given to me by my father who was killed by a filthy demon. Before my time serving the kingdom, I went around killing any demons causing trouble. I never did find the demon who killed my father though. But I am hoping this Diablo might have the answers I will be looking for." He sighs a bit. "But I also enjoy music, reading, peace and quiet, and playing the piano." He sits down.

Monika stands up and clears her throat. "My name is Monika and I have the strength that could rival any man or creature. I take my job very seriously and hope to help stop these Shadow Soldiers. I have my mace which harnesses the power of lightening. It can create and shoot out bolts of lightening. I happen to be one sixteenth giant on my mothers side, so when I said I have strength that could rival any man or creature, I really mean it. In my free time I also enjoy reading as well as training both mind and body. Before becoming a Divine Guard I was simply a regular soldier." She nods and sits down.

Vladimir blinks and stands up, clearing his throat. "My name is Vladimir. But you can call me Vlad and this here is my partner, Artemis. He's been my faithful dragon friend for about twenty years now? With the help of him and a few special items, such as this jacket." He spins around, revealing a dragon silhouette with some sort of ancient writing around and in it. "It gives me a few dragon like abilities~ I also have a special weapon, but it's not with me at the moment." He chuckles lightly. "I like drinking vodka in my free time and pulling pranks on people. Before I joined I just lived from town to town with Artemis really. Learning to control my powers and abilities for the most part." Artemis nods and climbs on his head, purring softly. Vladimir smiles and sits down.

Feliciano blinks a few times and jumps up, grinning big. "Hello everyone! My name is Feliciano! But you can all call me Feli since we're all gonna be friends! I'm really good with a knife with my deadly accuracy and I've been told I'm very light on my feet. I'm pretty smart too when it comes down to a fight, but I'm not good with preparing a strategy before hand. Oh! I like cooking! So I can make team meals! Oh! I also making new friends and taking long naps, petting cats, flirting with cute girls, and eating pasta!" He grins and giggles.

Allen snorts a bit. "For sure heard of you. They say when you open your eyes you unleash your full potential and no one lives to tell the tale." He laughs and grins. "You're my kinda guy!"

Feli pokes his fingers together and smiles a little bit. "Well...it's true!" He chuckles lightly and sits down bouncing in his seat.

Ivan stands up and clears his throat. "I'm sure you are all knowing the lot about me, but my name is being Ivan and I hope we can all be friends here. I love the warm weather and sunflowers are being my favorite flower! Now I am thinking, maybe we can come up with a name for ourselves? So we feel more of like a team?"

Vlad nods and smiles. "I think that's a great idea! Oh! I vote the Dragon Legion!" Artemis raises his hand up in agreement with the name. "Okay two votes!"

Allen raises a brow. "Now how is that gonna work? You're the only one with a dragon! How about uh...the...night walkers!"

Monika raises a brow. "No...that sounds a bit...creepy, we need something more...well I don't know how to put it."

"Well since we're Divine Guards, maybe something somewhat along those lines..." Ivan suggests.

Suddenly a light bulb appears over his head. "Oh! How about the Holy Defenders!" Feliciano stands up, grinning big.

They all look at him and nod, murmuring to one another at the name. The name did strike a sort of sense of hope in their hearts.

"Oh yeah~ A Holy Defender! I like it! We're gonna be the Holy Defenders!" Allen grins big and rubs his chin.

"Hand picked by the king himself...to protect the world from the shadows that lurk around the corner." Roderich said, enjoying the way that sounds.

Ivan smiles. "And to wipe out those Shadow Soldiers...the Holy Defenders. Da, it is good!" He chuckles and grins big.

"Then it is settled." Monika nods. "So...as for the Shadow Soldiers, how should we go about them?"

"Well, I guess it does sound pretty cool. I do love the way it sounds. Hell, I'm all for it!" Vlad throws his arms up.

"Well...since we are sure Draco and his traveling companion are heading to find the leader first, I say I, along with someone else, go and try to get there before them. We will take those two down, while the rest of you gather information on the location of the rest." Ivan stands and looks at his team.

Allen raises his hand. "What about Farkas, huh? Since he's in jail, can't we just go take him out now?" He tilts his head a bit.

Ivan shakes his head. "First we take out the leader, The Black Death and Draco, then we can go take care of him. He's not going anywhere after all. He's in one of the most heavily guarded prisons around. He'll be stuck there for a long time." He chuckles lightly. "Is that clear so far? Everyone understand?"

"Yes sir!" They all said together nodding in unison.

"Now as for who goes with me." They all leaned in, waiting in anticipation. "Vladimir, you're coming with me."

Vlad jumps out of his seat and cheers. "Yes! Hahah~! I mean! Thank you sir!" He bows his head.

He chuckles and smiles down at him, patting him on the back. "We leave tomorrow morning, so rest up and make sure to take everything you need.

Vlad smiles and nods, grinning big. "Yes sir! Thank you sir!" Artemis wags his tail and flaps his wings, landing on Vlad's head, feeling excited. "Oh yes, soon enough, we will get our chance little guy~" He chuckles lightly.

"Alright Holy Defenders! Be resting well tonight! Tomorrow, we head out on our first mission!" He declares, face serious and voice booming.

"YES SIR!" They all said together and then were dismissed, planning on getting ready with everything they need. This wasn't going to be easy and they knew it, but they were going to be prepared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha! Now if you haven't guessed yet, these will be the main antagonists to the Shadow Soldiers! I'm sure you ere all pretty surprised who is in this group, right? I enjoy putting random characters together to make things more interesting :3 So I hope you all enjoy this! Now feel free to guess who ends up in the Shadow Soldiers group xD
> 
> Allen: 2P!America  
> Ivan: Russia  
> Vladimir: Romania  
> Roderich: Austria  
> Monika: Fem!Germany  
> Feliciano: Italy


	4. Chapter 4

Ludwig was sitting at a table, having just ordered something to eat. He glances around the tavern and rests his elbows on the table, setting his chin on the palm of his hand. He notices on the wall close to the front door their were wanted posters posted on it, though none for the Shadow Soldiers which was a big relief, but you can't be to sure...the wanted posters for the Shadow Soldiers were probably just to the Divine Guards...it made sense as to not freak out the public or anything. But still, who knows if any Divine Guards were lurking around here.

Ludwig closes his eyes in thought and hums to himself as he thinks about it more. Why would they want to hunt them down? What's going on with this kingdom? These thoughts ran through his mind until he heard a voice.

"Your meal sir." Said the waitress as she sets down his two plates. "You must be hungry, ordering two plates like this." She gives a light chuckle. "I hope you enjoy your meal." She nods and left him to his meal.

Ludwig smiles lightly and nods before looking at his two plates. He glances up towards the ceiling where Henry and Argon were lying on one of the beams going across the inside of the roof. Henry looks down at him and grins as he gives him a thumbs up, chuckling lightly. He looks back at the two plates and glances around, lifting up the plate and Argon swiftly flew down and took the plate, setting it down on the beam so he and Henry can enjoy their food.

Ludwig was enjoying his mashed potatoes, with a side of sliced pieces of ham. He hums a bit as he smiles lightly, enjoying his tasty meal. It reminded him of home, when his father use to cook meat and potatoes. He thought about his father back home, wondering how he was doing right now. He was probably worried about him though...he was hoping he was alright. When he told his father what he was going to do, he wasn't to thrilled at the idea, but he let him go. Ludwig sighs a bit as he finishes and sets down his fork.

"All finished hun?" The waitress asks, looking at the sullen man who jumps a bit. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle ya." She laughs a bit nervously.

Ludwig shakes his head. "Oh it's fine, now worries, yes I am done thank you." He looks over and saw both empty plates. He didn't even notice the other plate being set down from the ceiling. "Now...do you know a good place to stay for the night...?" He looks up at the nice women who hums in thought as she thought to herself.

"Oh! There's an inn near by! Just walk down the street. It's a few buildings down, you can't miss it!" She smiles and takes both the plates and nods.

Ludwig thanks her and pays for his meal before getting up and leaving. He sighs a bit, hands in his pockets. It was night time and some people were out drinking and socializing and such, lights turned on in various houses and establishments. Henry looks around and smiles big, Argon hiding in his hair and peeks out a bit.

"Man it's been awhile since I've gotten out and explored this wondrous country of ours!" He chuckles and inhales deeply. "Aaahhh, smell that fresh clean air!"

Ludwig blinks and raises a brow. "Are you sure it's okay for you to be out in the open now...?" He asks a bit skeptically.

Henry waves his hand. "Psshhh! Don't worry! It's night, I'll be good! Don't worry so much about me, alright? I know exactly what I'm doin!" He puffs out his chest and grins.

Ludwig sighs and shakes his head. "I'll try...but you know, for someone who was a well...you know, you're very...well...how should I put this..." He rubs his chin in thought.

"Happy go lucky? Dumb? I don't seem like a killer? An idiot? Screwball? Way to nice? Something along those lines?" Henry looks at him and blinks.

He looks at him, a bit surprised. So it seems this isn't the first time he's been told this. "We-well...yes." He nods.

He chuckles lightly and puts his arm over his shoulder. "Well...between you and me, I get that a lot. I know I don't seem like much, but when push comes to shove, I can be a very scary and powerful man! As you've already seen, yeah?"

Ludwig had almost forgotten somehow. He nods slowly. "You're right...my apologies. I didn't want to sound rude or anything of the sort."

"Oh it's fine, don't worry about it! I get that a lot! I'm way use to it to be honest. Though the people who usually told me these things were my targets." He chuckles lightly. "But no worries! I won't kill ya~" He pats him on the chest, chuckling softly.

Ludwig sweatdrops a bit. "Well...that's good to hear I suppose..." He mumbles a bit to himself and shakes his head before they reach the Inn. He gets them a room with two beds and sighs as he flopps down on the nice comfy bed and closes his eyes. "I'm so tired..."

Henry nods and flops on the bed, putting his hands behind his head. Argon yawns and curls up on his chest, drifting off to sleep. "Yeah well you best rest up! Because tomorrow is a big day! We should be reaching the town Black Death lives in tomorrow! I know you're gonna love the boss!" He grins and chuckles, yawning and stretching.

Ludwig nods slowly. "Right...I sure hope so..." He sighs and closes his eyes. He was a bit nervous meeting this leader of the Shadow Soldiers. He was curious to see what type of person this Black Death was. With a name like that, he imagines a big burly man with heavy armor or something. He sighs a bit as he lets his mind wonder and slowly drifts off to sleep.

~o~o~o~o~

The next morning in a village not to far away, in a small house was a woman. She sits up in bed, wearing a lace gown. The sun was rising and the birds chirp. She stands up, her long curly black hair reaching down to her lower back. Her grey eyes look out the window, staring at the empty streets of the village. She takes a deep breath and spins around on her heel and heads to the bathroom, getting ready for the day.

After getting ready for the day, brushing her hair and putting it up in a ponytail, washing her face and getting dressed in black pants, a long white sleeve button up shirt with grey vest. She was sitting in a nice comfy chair, book in hand, enjoying the quiet morning as she did everyday.

Though today would be a bit different as their was a soft knock on the door. She raises a brow as this was very strange. Who could be knocking on her door at this early hour? She sighs and sets a bookmark in her book before setting it down and getting up to answer the door.

She opens the door and looks up at the tall man with violet eyes. He gave a small smile and holds up and rolled up sheet of paper. "Hello~ I am sorry for being the one to disturb you this early in the morning. But...you see, we are having the business to discuss..." He unrolls the paper, holding her wanted poster. "The Black Death, leader of the Shadow Soldiers, da?"

She raises a brow, a bit curious as to where this was going to lead. She didn't say anything just yet though.

"How about we talk, yes? I am sure we are the reasonable people~" He gives an innocent smile.

She steps to the side and allows him entrance into her home. "Come in."

He smiles and walks inside and slowly the door closes behind him.

The two sit down, looking at each other, probably trying to decide just how strong the other is. Ivan gave a sly smile, his fingers interlocked together on his lap. "Your name is Mara correct? It is being the very pretty name."

She nods slowly. "That is correct...now what exactly brings you here sir Ivan."

"Oh! You even know my name! I suppose that is not surprising...I am quite famous it seems." He chuckles softly and takes a deep breath. "You and your friends are being wanted by the king. He told all of us Divine Guards about it and you are all being the hunted right now. But he created a special force to rid of you all, since he is not sure if any of the other Divine Guards can handle it."

"I see...so what exactly are you gaining from ridding of me and my former teammates? Is their something the king is trying to accomplish with such a task?" She taps her fingers on her arm when she crosses them. It was very strange for this to be happening so she was trying t get as many answers as she could and hopefully some answers.

"I am not being the sure...but we can't go against the king after all. All I am doing is following orders. My team and I are also on the hunt for everyone! Farkas is currently being held in a prison, and it seems Draco, along with a young man are on their way here! So we are going to be taking out the two birds with one stone."

"What makes you think you can take us both out?" She uncrosses her arms, narrowing her eyes a bit at the smiling man in front of her. She knew things were about to get real violent, real quick.

"I didn't come alone. Their are six on my team...though I just brought one other knowing I didn't need anyone else." He gives a soft chuckle and smirks.

"Don't think so poorly of us, it just might be your fatal mistake." Mara warns. "Henry, or Draco as you call him, may be a bit on the dim side, but he's much to stubborn to die."

Henry sneezes and wipes his nose. "Ugh...I feel like someone is talking about me." He sniffles.

"Maybe you're just having allergies or something. Lets keep moving, the village is up ahead." Ludwig points.

Argon was on Henry's shoulder and soon starts to growl and glare up at the sky. Henry blinks a few times. "What? What is it Argon? Do you hear something?" He looks at. Argon looks at Henry and waves his arms around, and starts saying something.

His eyes went wide. "LUDWIG WATCH OUT!" Henry runs over and shoves him out of the way, just as a stream of blue fire hit right where he was standing.

Ludwig grunts a bit and groans as he blinks and looks up at him. "What...was that...?" He groans and rubs his head, sitting up a bit.

Henry stands up and looks tense. "Look alive, our first battle is about to begin..."

Ludwig looks confused as he stands up and looks around. "What? Is something about to happen...?" He tilts his head a bit. He suddenly holds up his arms to try and shield his face as a strong gust of wind suddenly whipped up, pushing him back a little bit.

A loud roar comes out from over head. It was Vladimir who was standing on the back of his dragon that was much bigger than normal. Artemis lands on the ground and growls. He stands 17 feet tall on all fours and 36 feet long from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.

Henry's jaw drops as he stares up at the dragon and the man riding it. "No way...another Dragon Tamer...no way...I didn't think I'd ever actually meet someone like me...let alone one of them being a Divine Guard..."

"So the rumors ARE true!" Vlad smirks and jumps off the back of his friend, who shrinks back down to his miniature size and hisses at the other dragon and Henry. "Man, I didn't think you were the real deal! But you really ARE a Dragon Tamer." He snorts and smirks at Artemis climbs up to his shoulder.

Henry narrows his eyes. "So...you're like me, huh...well this should be interesting...hey Ludwig, how about you go on ahead. See if you can find the boss."

"What? I don't even know what this person looks like!" He says, looking at him confused.

Henry grins. "Don't worry, you'll know." He nods at him and winks. "Now go!"

Ludwig blinks and nods before running ahead.

Vlad didn't pay him much mind though. He chuckles lightly. "So how about we get this started, yeah?"

Henry nods and cracks his knuckles. "Alright, lets go."

Vladimir smirks and licks his lips, his eyes glinting a bit. "Oh yes. Lets go!" The two charge at each other and rear back their fist's. Their fists slam into each other causing a powerful shockwave and both of them to smirk at each other.

Ludwig pants as he runs through the village, muttering to himself. Where was he even suppose to look?! He stops and pants a bit. He blinks as he hears a commotion and a few people running down the street. He runs the way they were running from and blinks as he stops in front of a house with a crowd in front of it.

"What the...?" He looks at the house, patches of ice covering the outside and, you can't see anything through the windows as it was pitch black, but that didn't make any sense...he furrows his brows. "The Black Death..." He mutters to himself. "He must be in there!" Without thinking, he pushes his way through the crowd and opens the door, a sharp freezing chill came threw, making his teeth chatter and everyone scatter and scream.

"Oh look, we are having the company it seems." Ivan smiles back at Ludwig, holding what seems to be a lead pipe, but he seems to be pulling a sword out of it. "Now what are you doing here. It is being quite the dangerous."

Ludwig blinks a few times and wasn't exactly sure what to say. He knew this was Ivan, one of the strongest Divine Guards...what was he doing here? Right! Duh, he's here for the Shadow Soldier's leader!

This distraction was used as an advantage. Ivan was sent through the wall by some sort of dark shadow force power. Ludwig jumpd a bit, his eyes wide with surprise.

Stepping in view was Mara who glances over at him, brow raised. "Who are you?"

Ludwig blinks a few times. "I-I'm Ludwig! I'm looking...the Black Death..." He clears his throat. Could...this be? No, it wasn't...right?

She raises a brow and before she could say anything, she jumps back, avoiding Ivan's blade.

He starts to laugh. "Well you are quite strong~ It will not be easy killing you..."

"As I said before, don't underestimate us. It may have been ten years since we've been on duty, but that doesn't mean we've grown weak." She glances over at Ludwig. "I suggest you stand back...you're going to get hurt otherwise." She warns the poor confused Ludwig who nods slowly and backs away from the door.

Mara opens her hand and a shadowy dark silhouette envelops her whole appendage. Soon it forms into a sword and materializes. The handle was a jet black, the blade a dark grey color.

Ivan chuckles and holds up his sword. "Oh yes, the Shadow Slicer. It's said to be sharp enough to cut through light itself. A strong magical item. Lets see just how powerful it is."

She narrows her eyes and both lunge forward, blades crossing, creating a loud clanking sound. The sheer force and power of the two crossing blades causes a powerful shock wave that broke the class windows in the house. It also manages to knock down Ludwig who grit his teeth.

"Watch out!" Henry yells as he comes crashing to the ground from up above. He grits his teeth and groans. "Okay...that wasn't fun..." He groans and sits up.

"Henry...? Are you alright?" Ludwig asks, raising a brow, clearing his throat a bit.

Henry groans and sits up. "Well...I've been better...but I'm alright for the most part!" He chuckles, rolling his shoulders. He looks up and glares up at Artemis who was over head. Vladimir was on his back and smirking down at him. "This guy is tough, but I'm tougher! Ludwig! Go evacuate the town! NOW!" He whistles and a large Argon swoops down picking up Henry, taking him up into the air.

Ludwig blinks a few times and nods before getting up and starting the evacuation.

"Oh you're not beaten yet are you? Well now prepare for more! Artemis! Go!" He smirks.

The dragon roars and flew straight at Argon, ramming into him and sending him crashing into the forest. Argon shakes his head, still holding Henry who was safe. Argon spreads his wings and put Henry on his back. He takes back into the sky.

Henry takes out his war hammer. "Alright, Vlad was it? Now it's serious! You're going down! Argon! Go!" He points forward.

Argon roars and flies forward, full speed, eyes narrowing. He opens his mouth, releasing an intense stream of fire.

"Artemis! Get me above him!" His dragon nods and flies upward, avoiding the flames. He flies over head and Vladimir reaches down towards the inside of his jacket and pulls out a flail, though instead of spikes it had ocean blue rocks protruding from it. He then jumps off the back of his dragon.

Henry looks up, his eyes wide. "What the!? CRAP!" Argon growls as he looks up and tries to fly out of the way, but he was to close and manages to land on top of him, just a few feet away from Henry.

"You have your own weapon, and I have mine. Now go!" Vlad swings up his arm and grins as he prepares to attack.

Henry grits his teeth and spins around to face him, his war hammer in his hand. "Alright! That's it! You're going down!" He charges forward, ready to strike him with the axe part of his weapon.

Vladimir swings his arm down, the round striking head with the sharp stones coming out of it, coming toward Henry,.

The skies soon started to darken as the battle between Mara and Ivan rages. With a battle being fought in the sky and one on the ground, it was mass chaos! Which side was going to win? It was very hard to tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. I know you all had no idea who the leader was xD HAHA! She's an OC of a friend of mine that I love and I'm sure you all will grow to love her too maybe. Anyways! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter I actually introduce Farkas! You might be able to guess? If you read some of my other stuff, he's a character I use in a few of my fanfics ;D So keep reading! Reviews make me happy xD Share! Favorite! Follow! Etc!
> 
> Mara: Marlands


	5. Chapter 5

People were screaming and running out of town. Ludwig guides them and curses lightly under his breath as he looks up at the darkening sky. This was a battle of epic proportion. Ludwig wasn't sure what to do, but he had to make sure everyone in the town was safe and out of harms way.

The swords between Mara and Ivan clash once more and and they both jump back. Neither was giving the other an inch.

Ivan gave a soft chuckle and smirks. "You are being the strong opponent I will give you that. But I won't let you beat me."

"This has been going on for awhile now Ivan. I think it's time we put an end to this fight." Mara says, her eyes narrowing a bit.

"Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing. Now, I think it's time to put you on ice." He raises his foot and slams it down on the ground. Ice starts to quickly spread and cover everything in its.

Mara narrows her eyes and looks at the quickly spreading ice that would engulf her house within a matter of seconds. She needs a way out and fast. She backs up slowly and looks around for a means of escape. A window! She makes a mad dash to the window before the ice can cover it. She jumps through the glass, smashing through it with her body and back flips on to her feet. She slides back a bit on the ground. Soon enough the whole house was frozen in solid in a thick layer of ice.

Ivan pouts a bit when she manages to escape his ice fortress. "She is good, I'll give her that, but she's not going to be getting far..."

Up in the air, Henry and Vlad were still fighting on Argon's back. Henry swings the axe half of his war hammer at Vladimir, but he jumps back and avoids it. "You're a fast one, I'll give you that..." Henry admits. "Now we're ending this! Argon!" Henry looks back towards his dragon's head.

Argon glances back at him and nods.

"What are you planning?" He raised a brow. His hands tighten around his weapon, ready for anything.

Henry grins and waves. "Bye bye." Henry sticks his tongue out at him as he jumps off his dragon.

"What the?!" He blinks, looking down at him and slowly looks over. Argon has his mouth open, fire covering the inside of it. His eyes went wide. "Damn it! ARTEMIS!"

Artemis swoops down and opens his mouth, releasing a stream of blue flames toward Argon as he releases his flames at Vladimir. Vlad jumps off his back, avoiding Argon's attack and Argon flies out of the way, just barely avoiding Artemis'. Both dragons swoop down and catch their respected tamer before they hit the ground.

Henry grits his teeth. "He's a lot tougher than I thought he'd be..."

Vlad smirks a bit and chuckles. "He's a lot more skilled than he looks...he's going to be hard to kill...but we can't fail are mission!" He nods. "I think it's time we go full out Artemis." He smirks and chuckles a bit.

Artemis nods and lands on the ground, letting Vlad jump off. With a puff of smoke, Artemis was small once more and Vladimir picks him up.

Argon swoops down and Henry jumps off his back. He becomes small once more and Henry narrows his eyes as he picks up Argon, who hissed and growls at the other two.

They both had the same idea and quickly lean their head's back and hold their dragon's by the end of their tail's, opening their mouth's. But before they could drop them, a strong, cold, icy wing was whips up around them and Henry grits his teeth and closes his eyes, sliding back a bit on the ground before falling over.

He sat up, rubbing his head. "What the...?" He looks around and Vladimir was gone... "What the...?" He scratches the top of his head.

"Henry!" Ludwig runs over panting and hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath. "I found you! Are you alright? Where did that other guy go?" He looks around. "Did you beat him?"

Henry shakes his head and stands up, dusting himself off. "No...it was more of a draw really...I'm guessing he was a Divine Guard...he probably wasn't alone either..."

"He wasn't." Out from the bushes steps Mara. "Good to see you both again." She nods at Henry and Argon.

Henry blinks and laughs as he gets up and pulls her into a hug, lifting her up off the ground. "Mara! It's so GREAT to see you! Oh it's been forever! You haven't changed a bit!" He chuckles lightly. "Though your hair grew out a bit, either that or you shrunk! Hahahaha!"

With that last remark Henry now had to try to pull his head out of the ground. She sighs and shakes her head. "Now what boggles the mind if why exactly this is happening. It came out of no where...and who are you exactly?" She looks at Ludwig.

He clears his throat and straightens himself out. The leader sure wasn't what he had expected. A young woman probably at least five feet in height. But she did manage to go toe to toe with one of the strongest Divine Guards. "My name is Ludwig! I well...I asked Henry for help because things in the kingdom are falling apart! Something is going on and I needed help! So...so I tried looking for the Shadow Soldiers..."

She raises a brow. "You expect a group of assassins to help you with bringing the kingdom back to its former glory?" She crosses her arms.

"Well you all use to work for the king, right? So...I was just well, hoping maybe not put it back to its former glory, but maybe at least, help me try to figure out what's going on...I just KNOW something isn't right..." He clenches his fists and looks down.

She stares at him, mulling over the thought. She sighs heavily and closes her eyes. "Fine...if Divine Guards are going to be coming after myself and my former associates, then it can't hurt to come along and try to figure this out."

Henry pulls his head out from the ground and jumps up. "Yay! Now we have our leader! This is gonna be sweeeet~!" He grins and laughs.

"Now, do we know the whereabouts of anything else?" She raises a brow.

"Well, besides Farkas being in some prison, no. I haven't heard from anyone else since we were disbanded to be honest. So I guess we can start with Farkas?" Henry shrugs.

Mara rubs her chin in thought. "Well...I have a feeling he can get himself out once he hears what's going on. So we just need to really pick him up. Now, before we head out, I need to receive something." She turns to walk away.

"Are you sure this Farkas can break himself out...? He is in one of the most fordable prisons we have, so it won't be easy. I would think he'd need your help breaking out." Ludwig ads, rubbing the back of his head.

"We will go to said prison to meet him, but I'm sure he won't need our help breaking out of there. Dunlin Prison is guarded with quite a few Divine Guards, not to mention high ranking Knights, so it won't be easy for him to simply break out. But I am positive he can handle it. We will go in just in case. Don't worry." Mara didn't really think he was going to have difficulty breaking out, but it has been ten years and all.

"Ludwig! My friend! Don't worry about it buddy~" Henry chuckles and pats his chest. "Farkas is a lot stronger than you might think. He can break himself out if he wants to. Don't worry about him. When we get there, I'm sure he'd already have broken himself out. Dunlin Prison...that's what? Maybe two days if we ride Argon there?"

"We leave in fifteen minutes, so make sure you're ready to leave by then." She starts to walk off. "One more thing needs to be taken care of..."

Ludwig blinks and was about to say something, but Henry pat his back and shakes his head. "Just give her some time. She just needs to get ready to leave."

"So...Henry, quick question, exactly how long can your dragon stay in such a large state...?" He tilts his head a bit. It was his first time seeing his dragon in such a large state.

"Oh! Well if he's not fighting or anything he can stay like that for really, as long as he wants. After he sustains a lot of damage then he turns back into his small form. It's just way more convenient if he stays this small. A lot easier for me to swallow and for him to hide if needed." He chuckles lightly.

Ludwig nods slowly. "Oh. Good to know then."

Mara holds her hands behind her back, thinking about her current situation. She didn't think this would happen, well to be honest, she had a feeling it would one day, but it came sooner than she thought. At least she had a good ten years of peace. Now she needs to get back into the swing of things. Its been ten years, but she's sure her skills haven't gotten rusty. She walks up to a rock and pushes it aside. Under the rock was a hole with chest in it. She pulls it up and opens it, sighing a bit at the memories the contents held.

inside the chest she pulls out her old outfit. She changes her clothes into a pair of black pants, a black vest over her white button up shirt as well as a long black trench coat that stops just below the knees. She then puts on a pair of white gloves and adjusts herself a bit.

"Never thought I'd be putting these things on so soon...but it seems my kingdom needs me and I can't turn a blind eye to all of this..." A dark shadowy aura starts to emanate off of her. She glances back at the boulder and holds out her hand towards it. All the shadow energy moving to her hand and forming a sort of blob that covers her gloved hand. She clenches her first, causing the shadow around her hand to compress and turn into various sharp spikes that shoot out at the boulder, going right through it.

The boulder crumbles and falls apart, a light cloud of dust and dirt filling the spot where the boulder once was. She nods in approval. "Still a bit rusty, but with some training, I'm sure I'll be back to normal." She walks back off to meet with the others.

Meanwhile Ivan and Vladimir were going to meet up with the others at a disclosed location. Vladimir looks a bit upset he didn't get to go full out against the other Dragon Tamer.

"I was SO close to beating him! I just know if we went full out I'd be able to beat him!" He waves his arms around and groans. Artemis nods in agreement and climbs on top of his head, getting comfy on top.

Ivan chuckles softly. "Now now, don't worry, you'll have your chance again. But first we must come up with plan and see if we know where the other members are." He smiles and claps his hands together.

He sighs and nods. "Yeah I know..." He continues to pout then looks down. That Henry was a lot stronger than he expected him to be. He can see why he was a member of the Shadow Soldiers.

They soon stop at a remote cabin in the woods and open the door. Sitting inside were the other members of the group who were just waiting for the other two to report back.

Allen throws his arms up in the air. "Hey! Look who's back? How was the fight?" He grins, leaning forward a bit in his chair.

Vlad sighs a bit. "Well...they're a lot stronger than we gave them credit for. Especially since it's been ten years, but it was pretty thrilling! I mean I almost thought I'd end up being the one killed!" He chuckles lightly. "But I think we can take them on."

Allen grins big and jumps up. "Awh now my blood is PUMPING! I can't wait for this! When is it gonna be my turn?!" He whines and jumps up and down.

"Please, can you calm down? You're acting like an overexcited dog. Have some class." Roderich sighs, shaking his head a bit as he takes a sip from his teacup.

Allen growls and glances at him. "One day I'm going to rip out that tongue if yours, you know that?" He glares at him, baring his sharp canines towards him and clenching his fists.

"Come on! We're all apart of the same team here!" Feliciano says, waving his arms around and looking between them frantically. "We need to focus on the enemy and taking them down! Right?" He smiles between the two.

They both turn away from each other and cross their arms. Feli sighs in relief when they stop their bickering.

Monika shakes her head. "Now, we've managed to gather some information on one other Shadow Soldier. The one they call Doctor. It seems he's being held in a mental institution. He's been there for what seems to be about six months."

Ivan raises a brow. "Mental institution? Do you know why he was sent there?" Curiosity peeks through his eyes as he wants to know more about his situation.

"Well." Roderich goes on to say. "It seems he was found attempting some sort of experiment on a farmer's daughter and when asked why he simply replied, 'To get to know her better'. So he was deemed insane and sent there. That's all we know about him though."

Ivan rubs his chin in thought and hums softly. "Now...since we have one in lock down and the other in a mental institution, what do you all think our best bet would be?"

"I say we go check on Farkas! I doubt he'll be stayin in that prison for long." Allen chuckles lightly and smirks. "If he's as crazy as an animal as the rumors say he is, then once he gets a whiff of what's happening, no cell is gonna hold him for long."

Ivan hums and chuckles, giving a nod. "I believe you're right about that. How about you, Roderich, and Feliciano go and check on him, to make sure he does not go causing any trouble for those poor people."

Allen grins and chuckles. "Alright, sounds good to me~"

Roderich sighs, but agrees. "Well if I must, then I suppose so..."

"YAY! This is going to be fun! Oh I can't wait!" Feli smiles wide and claps his hands, bouncing up and down and squealing.

"Vlad, Monika, you two are being the coming with me. Then we will go and check up on this...Doctor."

Monika nods as she stands up and salutes. "Yes sir!"

Vlad smiles and nods. "Yes sir! Understood!" He grins and Artemis nods and does a little salute.

"Good! We leave soon, so get yourselves ready." He nods and turns on his heel, heading back outside.

Allen rubs his hands together and grins. "Well let's get going team!" He laughs and throws his arms up.

Roderich rolls his eyes. "If we have to...this is going to be a long trip..."

Feli bounces up a down. "Oh! We can get to know each other better this way! It'll be a very fun trip! I know it!"

"Alright Farkas! Here we come~" Allen smirks.

Not to far away, in Dunlin Prison, a heavily guarded prison with many high ranking knights and three strong Divine Guards. Inside the stone cold cell, behind a heavy steel door, with two knights guarding each side of the door, was a man sitting down. Cuffs on his wrists and ankles. Chains connected to the floor, connected to his cuffs. He was a pretty hairy guy, body hair covering his torso, arms, legs, and a heavy beard over his face. His magenta colored eyes glance over at the door, his sensitive ears picking up the conversation.

"Did you hear? Rumor has it every Divine Guard out there are trying to hunt down the Shadow Soldiers. I hear they're going to take care of Farkas that's in this here cell." One knight said to the other.

He nods and snorts. "About time someone put the guy to rest. He's been trapped here for what? A good seven years?" He shakes his head. "He's to weak to fight back, especially without his special belt."

thr other guard laughs and shakes his head. "He's been in there longer than that actually. You started guarding this place seven years ago. He's been stuck here since I've been working here. It's been ten long years since he's set foot out,of his cell."

The first guard whistles. "Wow. And to think the guy's never gonna get the pleasure of seeing the outside world again real soon."

Farkas blinks a few times as the two share a laugh. "Hunt...down...us...?" He tilts his head a bit. "That's not good..." He slowly stands up. He didn't have a shirt and just dressed in a pair of old dirty shorts. His long, thick, coarse, black hair stops by his shoulder blades. He had a hair tie around his wrist and he used that to put up his hair in a ponytail. Scars littered all over his upper body, covering his chest, sides and back. He had a scar over his nose and one over his left eye. He had three others on his face but his beard covers them.

"I think it's time to finally break out...looks like I'm needed..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! And sorry the fight scene was t that exciting, but don't worry as the story goes forward, more and more epic battles shall happen! And I can now introduce who Farkas is!
> 
> Daniel: 2P!Male!Hungary


	6. Chapter 6

A soft knock comes from inside the cell. The guards blink and look at each other before looking back at the door. "Uh...what is it Farkas?" One of them asks.

"I'm gonna give ya two options...you either let me out, or I break out...and my name is Daniel, stop calling me Farkas all the time." He grumbles.

"You can't break out! You're chained up in the-wait...how can you be at the door if you- uh oh. ALERT THE DIVINE GUARDS! NOW!" He grips his weapon and turns toward the door.

The other knight looks at him confused and just then, the door shoots through the air, hitting the wall, a huge dent in it. Daniel walks out, chains dangling from the cuffs where he bit part of them off. He was over six feet tall and looks between the two. "Now which one of you am I gonna have to get through first..."

The guard who was confused grits his teeth and runs off to alert the Diving Guards, who help watch over this place.

The knight that stayed glares at him and points his spear at him. "Hold it right there! You're not going any further!"

He raises a brow. "Is that right..." He cracks his knuckles and rolls his shoulders. "Well fine, if that's what I have to do Just remember, I've been locked up for ten years, so I'm a bit rusty."

The knight moves back a bit and yells as he charges forward, spear ready to stab Daniel in the heart.

~o~o~o~o~

"Did any of you hear that large bang?" Another knight asks a whole group who all look confused and hadn't heard anything.

Suddenly they turn around as part of the ceiling above them came crashing down. The knight from before was passed out in the rubble, bleeding from the nose and mouth, a few missing teeth, his body twitched and he coughs out a little blood. They all look surprised and scared. What could have done this to him?

Then dropping down from the above floor was Daniel. He cracks his neck and looks at the ten guards who were stunned and weren't sure what to do. 'Now...any of you know where I can find my stuff? I'm gonna need it..."

They didn't answer as they all readied their weapons. "Come on men! Their is only one of him! We can take him down! Let's go!" They all charge forward, ready to attack.

~o~o~o~o~

"Are you both ready?" Mara said to the two.

Henry nods and salutes. "Oh yeah for sure!" He grins and pat the now large Argon on the back. "Now let's go!" He nods and hops on the back of his dragon.

Ludwig climbs on his back as well. "Well, I've never thought I'd ride a dragon before..." He mutters.

Mara hops on and points forward. "Now...let's go!" She declares.

"Hi ho Argon! AWAY!" He laughs as his dragon took off into the air. Henry sighs happily and leans back, smiling happily at the fond memories. "Makes you think back to the good old days, huh?"

Mara blinks and crosses her arms, thinking back on the memories. "It does stir up a few memories...it was the fastest way to travel from time to time...I'm sure Farkas is still as powerful as he was back ten years ago..."

Henry chuckles lightly and grins. "Maybe even more so!" He throws his arms up in the air.

"So...you use to all ride on a dragon...?" Ludwig asks, a brow raised in curiosity.

Henry chuckles. "Well, not EVERYWHERE, but usually yeah, or to someplace CLOSE to where we were suppose to be. It was great for making a dramatic entrance! But sometimes we needed to be stealthy."

"Hm, some were better at it than others..." Mara comments.

Henry sweatdrops a bit. "I uh...well you know! We all have our strong suites and all! I was pretty decent at hiding though! Keeping to the shadows!"

"You know, it's quite amazing...the Shadow Soldiers were put off as some sort of myth, but you all actually exist. It's really amazing, I mean when I started out on this mission of mine, I wasn't sure if I would be successful in it, but I'm glad I found you all. I am also glad you all are helping me out."

"Awh don't think much of it!" He grins and gives a thumbs up. "It's like fate you found me! Because of you, I get to gather all my friends together again! I mean, I loved my regular life, but I missed everyone...we all sort of lost touch with one another and...that wasn't really nice...but hey! We're gonna get the gang back together and help the kingdom once again! It'll be GREAT!" He throws his arms up and laughs.

"Well, I don't know about fate, but we are meant to be come together once more as a group...their is something a bit...strange going on now a days and I believe we are the only ones who can help at this point...let's hurry and get to Dunlin Prison, who knows how much trouble that man has gotten himself into by now."

~o~o~o~o~o~

All ten men were sprawled out on the ground, bruised, bloody, and passed out. Daniel walks away, grumbling as he looks around, scratching the top of his head.

"Where the hell are they keeping my stuff, damn it...I need my belt...meed my gauntlets...need to get out of this hellhole..." He sighs as he looks around and saw a door. "Could this be it?" He tilts his head as he opens it. He was met with a Divine Guard who frowns at him. He was currently holding up Daniel's belt with a silver buckle containing a wolf carved on it. This Divine Guard has a suit of armor on, and a sword attached to his hip, along with cape on his back.

"Farkas...you sly dog...what makes you think you're just going to take this and leave?" He smirks and shakes his head. "Of course not. You'll have to beat me first you overgrown mutt." This man was well built and strong looking. His green eyes full of riotous justice, and his soft, short, brown hair combed a bit to the side.

Daniel blinks and and sighs a bit. "Fine...but I don't think you realize what you're getting yourself into..." He growls, his teeth sharpening a bit and poking out his mouth, his nails growing and hardening into claws, his hair on the side of his head grew out a bit longer, forming sideburns.

He raises a brow. "Even without that belt, you still retain some ability to alter your physical form I see...you've been using this thing for a long time..."

"I've had it since I was a sixteen...I'm in my forties now...so yeah...I can manage this without my belt...but I still need it to release my true power. Now, give it back...then tell me where my gauntlets are." He bares his sharp teeth.

He snorts and shakes his head. "You've been in this prison for ten years now Farkas, I know everything about you. Remember, I'm a Divine Guard, so this won't be easy...beat me and you get your precious belt back and I'll tell you were your gauntlets are, I promise."

He snorts. "You talk to much..." He crouches down and lunges forward, ramming into him, crushing him against the hard, brick wall. He yells and spits out a little blood, gritting his teeth. He drops the belt that Daniel happily picks it up.

"Yo-you bastard..." He grits his teeth. "You're going to pay for this." He slowly stands up, coughed up a little more blood. He drew his sword. "Prepare to pay! With your LIFE!"

~o~o~o~o~o~

"There it is." Henry whistles as Argon flew towards the prison. "Now we should be careful! Who knows what we might encounter." He smiles.

Mara nods in agreement. "He's right. We have to be careful.

Argon lands on the ground, a few feet away from the door.

Ludwig jumps off the back and looks around. "It seems...a bit empty...shouldn't there be guards outside of this place or something?" He set his hands on his hips, looking up at the large building.

"Maybe he's caused more trouble than we thought." Henry crosses his arms, thinking about what could be going on in there.

Mara rubs her chin in thought and hums. "We should hurry inside. Who knows what could be going on in there."

They both nod and Argon shrinks back down and made his way up to Henry's shoulder where he was comfy. Before they could move forward though, a loud cracking sound echoed around them.

"What was that?" Ludwig asks as he looks around.

"Hold it right there Shadow Soldiers!" A female voice calls out and from one of the towers a woman jumps down. She holds a whip and smirks at the small group. "Well...Shadow Soldiers and friend. I can't let you go any further than this." She chuckles lightly. Her long wavy orange hair covers her left eye. Her one visible dark green eyes glimmers with excitement.

Mara raises a brow. "Well it seems this won't be as easy as I thought...though I am not surprised..."

Henry moves in front of her and smiles. "Don't worry! I got this." He winks and chuckles lightly. "You guys go on ahead, I'm sure I can handle her."

Mara looks up at Henry and nods. "Alright, keep her distracted while we go inside."

Ludwig blinks. "Alright, you just be careful Henry." Ludwig nods at Henry who gave him a thumbs up and grins.

She cracks her whip. "Oh no, I can't let any of you inside. So why don't you stick around." She cracks her whip, then swings it towards Mara and Ludwig. He narrows his eyes, swiftly taking out his war hammer and runs between them and the whip, blocking the attack.

"Just you and me, let's have a little fun." He chuckles and inhales deeply, the spikes on his collar starting to turn red before he could finally release a stream of fire towards the woman.

Her eyes go wide as she jumps in the air, avoiding the fire. "Well I've never seen someone do that before."

Ludwig and Mara take the chance and run inside.

She curses under her breath as the two manage to get past her. She lands behind Henry and glares at him.

"Damn it! Look what you made me do! Fine, I'll play with you, then I'll go get the other two." She cracks her whip, letting it wrap around Henry's ankle.

"Uh oh." His eyes go wide.

She smirks and swings him around, making him get dizzy then releases him, causing him to crash through some trees. He groans and slowly lifts up a bit. "Ooowwww..." He rubs his head. "Okay...so she's not playing around..."

She laughs and shakes her head. "Please tell me you've got something better up your sleeve."

Henry shakes his head and stumbles out from the tree line. "That's it!" He inhales deeply, the spikes on his collar slowly starting to glow. He then releases a stream of fire straight at her.

"Oh, talk about have hot breath. " She jumps high into the air, sailing over Henry. She smirks and cracked her whip, causing it to wrap around his neck.

"Da-damn it! Really not...liking...this whip...!" He grit his teeth. "Argon, do something!" Argon blinks and spreads his wings and flies up.

She lands on the ground, pulling the whip tight and laughing. "You're not much of a challenge you know." She then starts to spin him around once more, laughing loudly. Henry yells, getting dizzy once more.

~o~o~o~o~

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" Ludwig asks as he follows behind Mara.

"Not exactly, but I have a strong feeling that he will end up finding us rather than us finding him." She suddenly stops and squints her eyes.

"What's the matter? Is something up ahead?" He asks, tilting his head a bit.

"Ssshhh..." She holds up her hand. "There is someone close by..." She glances back to him.

Suddenly a chuckle echoes around them. "Quite the perspective eye you have there young lady~ But it's to be expected..." A little ahead of them, someone appears as he was blending in with the wall. "A pleasure to meet you."

Mara narrows her eyes a bit. "A Divine Guard I take it..."

He chuckles and nods. "You are correct ma'am." He was wearing a suit of armor that resembled a chameleon. "Now I take it you're here to break out your friend. I can't let you do that...he's already caused a ruckus and needs to be taught a lesson. But first I'll deal with you too." He smirks as he fades and disappears.

"Where did he go?" Ludwig looks around, stepping closer to Mara, their backs touching. "His armor must allow him to turn invisible...this isn't good..."

She hums and looks around. "Ludwig, I want you to go find Farkas..."

"What?" He looks back at her, confusion written all over his face. "Me?"

"Right, you. I can handle this man, but you need to go find him, then tell him it's time to go. I'm sure you'll be able to find him."

"Right...now, what does he look like exactly...?" He questions.

"He's big, he's hairy, and he has a short temper. I'm sure he's somewhere around here breaking something, now go!" She nudges him a bit.

He nods and makes a run for it. "Not so fast!" A voice calls out and the Divine Guard appears behind Ludwig, knife in hand, ready to slice his neck. But before he could do anything, Mara appears behind him, a blade to his neck.

"Not so fast." She said in a deadly serious tone. "GO!" She yells to Ludwig who nods and makes a break for it, turning a corner and running down the hall, though he had no idea where to start actually looking.

~o~o~o~o~

Henry pants and rubs his red and sore neck. "Man...she sure is tough..." He whistles and Argon swoops down, in his large form. Henry jumps on his back.

"HAHA! RUNNING AWAY?! NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" She grins and cracks her whip around Argon's ankle before he got to far away. She holds on to her whip tight as she was taken up into the air.

Henry looks down and grits his teeth. "Come on, she's really stubborn..." He grips his war hammer and inhales deeply, the spikes on his collar slowly glowing red.

She climbs up to Argon's back and unwraps her whip from around the dragons ankle. Her eyes went wide as a blast of fire was heading her way. She curses under her breath as she jumps off his back, not having any other choice.

Henry grins and crosses his arms. "Showed her not to mess with me!" Before he could get to big of a head, Argon screeches and squirms around a bit. Henry looks back to see she had whipped her whip and it was tight around his dragon's neck.

She swings up and lands on his neck and smirks. "Now, where were we?" She smirks at him.

Henry laughs nervously and gulps a bit. "Oh boy...uh...mind if I ask what your name is...?"

She giggles and winks. "You can call me Willow~ You've been a very bad boy and I think it's time you learned a lesson."

Henry blushes lightly and gulps. "I don't like the sound of that..."

~o~o~o~o~

"You can't hit what you can't see!" The sneaky guard laughs as he appears out of thin air, right behind her, blade ready to cut her.

She spins around, metal hitting metal as sparks fly, using her own blade to block his. "Now, tell me, what's your name...you know mine, it's only fair I know yours."

He chuckles lightly and smirks. "My name? Well you can just call me Cam." He chuckles and fades into his surroundings. "Though you won't need it where you're going!" He laughs as Mara looks around.

"Honestly..." This 'Cam' fellow, was getting on her nerves with his disappearing act...quite the annoying man he was.

~o~o~o~o~

Daniel grit his teeth as his enemy slams him back into a wall, coughing out a little blood. He grumbles as he tries putting his belt on around his waist.

"Stop right there!" Daniel curses as he avoids getting his head cut off by a sword. "You're not putting on that belt! So you better just stay still!"

Daniel growls and lunges at him, teeth out, ready to snap. The Divine Guard puts up his arm that Daniel bites down on, growling and denting the armor piece. He quickly slips his arm out as Daniel bites down hard enough to crush the armor piece like it was nothing. He spits it out and finally manages to put on his belt.

"Da-damn it!" He grit his teeth and grips his sword. "So you have your belt. But you don't have your weapon." He pants a bit and glares at him.

Daniel grunts a bit as he grips the buckle. "I may not, but you're in for a world of pain." He growls and the eyes on the wolf start to glow red. Daniel's eyes glow red as well as his body expands, his bones start to crack and re-shape, black fur pushing through his skin like needles, face elongating into a muzzle, ears start to point, his teeth grew longer and sharper nails hardening and turning sharp like claws. He wasnearly two whole feet taller, more muscular, his eyes snap open, revealing a brilliant gold. He pants and growls, fur as black as the night sky, eyes filled with rage and adrenaline. He leans his head back and howls with such power it shakes the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha! YES! So there we have Farkas! I'm sure you can all guess that not ALL Divine Guards will be Hetalia characters. But I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for another awesome chapter! I think next chapter introduces another Shadow Soldier too! I bet you all can't guess who the others are. Muwahaha~!


	7. Chapter 7

Ludwig stops and pants as he looks around, not sure where to go. "Where am I even suppose to begin looking for him?" He groans and rubs his temples.

Before he knew it, a body came crashing through the wall from his left. The body lands to the right of him and looked pretty beat up, slash marks over his arm and armor torn from different areas.

"What...the...?" Ludwig furrows his brows and then slowly looks over to his left, hearing a low, feral, growl.

A mighty beast that resembled a wolf, but also a man, a werewolf if you will. He growls and his claws twitch, a little blood visible on the razor sharp nails of his. He didn't seem to notice Ludwig at all right now.

"Y-you...damn MONSTER!" The Divine Guard winces as he slowly gets up. "This is far from over. Now! Prepare yourse-" He grunts as a paw like hand shoves his head deeper into the wall.

"You talk to much..." He spoke, much to Ludwig's surprise. "Give up already, I still gotta look for the rest of my stuff ya know..."

Ludwig didn't know what to do or say at the moment. He gulps a bit and takes a deep breath. "Farkas!"

The wolf beast, which was indeed Daniel thankfully, glances over at him, his ears twitching. "Yeah? What do you want?" He seemd less than enthusiastic as he looks at Ludwig.

"I-I've come...with the rest of the Shadow Soldiers! To free you and...well help if I can."

He looks up in thought and nods. "Well, I do need my weapon...if you can find that, that'd be a big help."

"Do...you have any idea where they might be...?" He really didn't wanna go running around aimlessly and looking for it. Some sort of hint would be nice.

"Not a clue. I'm sure it's somewhere on this floor though, so have a look around, huh?"

Ludwig sighs heavily and hangs his head down a bit. "Right...I'll find them for you..." He ran past him and now searches for some sort of room where they might store weapons.

~o~o~o~o~

Mara was having trouble dealing with the disappearing Divine Guard. He was very quick and hard to keep track of at the moment. Mara was having a hard time landing a blow on him.

"Damn it..." She mutters under her breath as she misses another chance to slash him with one of her hidden blades.

He shakes his head and appears behind her. "Come on, you're the leader, aren't you suppose to be strong? This is much to easy. Those ten years must have dulled your abilities." He sighs and shakes his head.

"I will admit, you're a hard target. But everyone has their weakness." She figures her eyesight is more of a hindrance at the moment, so she takes out a blindfold and wraps it around her eyes and takes a deep breath, focusing on her other senses.

"Oh come now, you're not going to win like that." He blends into his surrounds and his chuckle echoes a bit before everything goes silent.

Mara inhales deeply, the faint scent of metal in the air, it came from right in front of her, the faint sound of a foot hitting the ground, to her right. He was circling her. She could just feel it. He was going to attack from the left.

"YOU'RE DONE!" Like she expected, he reappears to her left, sword high above his head and ready to strike down. She quickly sweeps his legs out from under him, making him gasp in surprise and hit the ground, dropping his weapon. A blade came out from her sleeve and she plunged it straight through his shoulder and into the ground.

"AAHHHHHHH!" He hollers in pain and thrashes around. His armor was meant for camouflage, not for protection, so it was pretty thin. He glares at her, teeth gritting. "You bitch! How could you detect me?! I was invisible!"

She takes off her blindfold. "Simple. I used my other senses. You might be able to hide from plain sight, but you still make noise, though faint and very quiet, it's there. As well as a smell, so if you focus hard enough on those and your movements are simple to calculate."

He growls and glares at her. "Damn it...I should have known the leader of the Shadow Soldiers was smart..."

"Quite. Now." She sets her foot on his chest, adding a bit of pressure to make him uncomfortable. "Where's Farkas."

"You think I'm just going to tell you!? As we SPEAK the leader here is taking care of the damn dog!" He was going to laugh victoriously, but soon a wall close to them cracks and brakes, a body flying through the air, embedding into the solid brick wall.

Mara coughs and shields her face with her arm, covering her nose and mouth. As the dust clears, her eyes widen a bit. Walking from the open hole in the wall, Daniel steps through and shakes out his fur.

"He's a lot tougher than he looks..." Daniel rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck a bit. He blinks and stares at Mara. "Oh...so you did manage to make it in here. Long time no see Black Death."

"And oh so very good to see you too Daniel." She rolls her eyes. "I figured you'd need backup...but it seems you've got things handled."

He snorts a bit. "Yeah...so, anyone else with you at the moment..."

"Well, we also have Draco along with us." She dusts herself off a bit.

He tilts his head a bit. "Really? That idiot? I'm surprised he hadn't gotten himself killed yet...but whatever..." He cracks his knuckles and grunts softly, running his fingers through thenfur on the top of his head. "If he hasn't been killed yet, I'm sure he can last a little longer without us."

"One can only hope." She nods and sighs a bit. "Though he can cause one to worry..."

~o~o~o~o~

Henry was back on the ground and narrows his eyes at his opponent. He glares at her and pants a bit. Dealing damage with her long rage whip was getting really annoying. He twirls around his war hammer.

"Alright! That's it! Time for Spike Bed!" He slams the hammer side of his war hammer on the ground, causing the ground to shake and spikes made of rock to shoot out the ground, making a straight line toward the Divine Guard.

She gasps and jumps up into the air, just barely avoiding the sharp spikes. "HA! You'll have to try better than that!" Argon swings his tail into her, sending her crashing to the ground.

Henry grins. "Thanks buddy!" Giving a thumbs up to his dragon friend, his slams his hammer down on the ground once more. "Mud Trap!"

She groans and tries sitting up, but has a problem as she starts sinking in a pit of mud. She struggles, only making her sink faster. The ground hardens when she sinks down to her neck. "What is this?! Get me out of here!" She growls and glares.

Henry walks over to her. "That's also a special attack of mine~! My war hammer can control all sorts of rock and ground attributes. I even made up cool names for all my attacks. Now if you will excuuuuse me! I gotta meet up with my friends! Come on Argon!"

Argon was surrounded in flames as he flew to Henry, returning back to his small size, resting on his friend's head. Henry runs inside to look for his friends.

~o~o~o~o~

Ludwig stands in front of a door that had a STORAGE label on it. He knew it was what he was looking for! He opens the door and looks around. It had armor plates, some swords, and helmets. Then he saw it.

"Ah ha!" He sees a chest labeled 'FARKAS' POSESSIONS' "This has to be it!" He picks up the chest and runs back, hoping he wasn't to late or anything.

When he reaches the others he set down the chest in front of Daniel and nods. "I managed to find your things sir."

Daniel nods. "Great." Soon fur reseeded, claws turn back into nails, he shortened a bit. Once back to normal, he rolls his shoulders. He breaks open the lock and the chest creaks open. He first pulls out a cloak that was a bit like Allen's, but his resembled a wolf rather than a fox. He also pulls out two leather demi-gauntlets that he put on, they covered his wrists and the back of his hands. They also four, small, blades pointed outward. Inhaling slowly, he takes it all in. Escaping beating the Divine Guard. It was finally time for him to be free. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Hey! Guys!" Henry grins as he runs up to his friends and laughs. "Look! You guys found Daniel too! Long time no see!"

Daniel glances over at the happy man and grunts a bit. "Yeah yeah, it's been forever, whatever. Can we just get out of here already? Also, mind filling me in on what's going on exactly?"

Mara nods and turns on her heel. "Yes you shall be informed at once, but first we should leave."

"Right!" The other three said all together. They manage to take one step forward.

"HOLD IT!" From behind, Cam stands up, gripping the bleeding hole on his shoulder. "You're all wanted by the king! Since you've taken down the other two...it's only fair I try and take you all down myself!" He growls and glares at them.

Ludwig rubs his head. "You know, I don't think that's such a good idea...you're bleeding pretty bad, plus it wouldn't be a fair fight after all..."

Cam growls and glares at Ludwig. "SHUT UP!" He pants and takes a small step forward. "I will end you ALL!"

"Hold it right there! I think that's enough for today." A voice suddenly calls out from behind him.

Cam gasps and spins around, his eyes wide as he sees Allen, Feliciano, and Roderich. "O-oh! Sirs! I...wasn't aware you were all...coming...I was just about...to handle the-them." He nods, feeling light headed. They were some of the strongest Divine Guards and rumor has it the king assigned them to some special task force! To show his respect towards them, be bows in front of them, gripping his bleeding shoulder.

Allen raises a brow and looks over at the small group and grins. "Farkas...as I live and breathe...I've been waiting my whole life to meet you." He chuckles and walks toward him. "I've heard all sorts of stories about you...researched you plenty...I became a Divine Guard just to try and learn more about you! Ohhhh, but we finally meet~" He grins as he stops right in front of him.

Daniel raises a brow. "Really now...what? You a big fan of mine or something?" He sneers and looks down at him. This guy made him feel uneasy and he wasn't sure why exactly. This feeling was starting to piss him off and he already hated his guts. He made sure to keep his guard up just in case he tried something.

Allen chuckles lightly. "I guess you could say that. But really all I want to do is beat you in a fight so I'll be known as the strongest shiftier alive. I always did enjoy a good fight." He laughs and cracks his knuckles. This was his chance! His heart was beating with excitement and his mouth stretches to a wide grin.

Daniel sets his hand on the shorter man's face and shoves him back. "Shut up...you don't wanna fight me, boy. So get lost." He just escaped from his cell and already had to fight his way through this god forsaken place! Like he wanted to fight now. That was the last thing on his mind.

Roderich sighs and shakes his head, ready to draw his sword. "Honestly Allen. You are aware our mission is to rid of them correct? So stop playing around." He grips the hilt of his sword.

"We need to make our escape. Now." Mara said, deadly serious as she raises her hand, holding it forward. "Now we must be on our way. Dark Cover." Dark shadows poured out of her hand, surrounding the small group within a matter of seconds.

Allen growls and gets on all fours. "Oh no you don't!" He wasn't going to let them get away that easily! After all this time! He lunges forward, ready to tackle Daniel as he narrows his eyes. But when he hit the shadows, he fell through, hitting the ground. When he turns around, they were gone. "DAMN IT!" He slams his fist on the ground.

Feliciano was looking over the injured in the hall at the moment, making sure no one was seriously injured. "Well it looks like they have one more in their group...hopefully our group was able to find the other one." He smiles and wraps Cam's shoulder. "We should go back and report."

Roderich sighs and nods. "It seems we weren't even able to stop them...they are a tricky bunch..."

Allen slowly gets up and snorts a bit. "Don't worry...this is definitely not the last time we're going to meet them. I just know it." He grins and laughs. "Oh yeah! I know I can beat the old fart now! I'm ready for this~"

~o~o~o~o~

Mara manages to transport them outside the fortress. Henry whistles and Argon flies up, consumed by fire. He grows and lands on the ground and everyone hurries on his back before he takes off into the sky.

Daniel groans and cracks his back a bit and stretches out. "Oh man, it feels so GOOD to be out of that place!" He yawns and rubs his bearded face. "Ugh...I grew this thing...but I kinda like it to be honest."

"Well...it does go with the whole werewolf look you got going on." Henry chuckles lightly and grins. "So, how exactly did you end up in prison...?" He tilts his head, being a bit curious.

Mara crosses her arms and nods. "I would also like to know how exactly you ended up in prison. Not just any prison, but one of the most secured prisons in the kingdom." She looks less than happy at the big and hairy male.

He groans and rubs the back of his head, clearing his throat. "Well...after we were disbanded and all...I didn't know what to do, so I took a few...special jobs from people...you know, taking out a few bad guys here and there, trying to make a living...one day, some weird guy asked me to deal with this corrupt guard...turned out to be a Divine Guard...killed him, got caught in the act, next thing I know I've been locked up for ten years."

Ludwig rubs the back of his neck. "Well, it is a serious offense to kill a Divine Guard, so I'm not exactly surprised...but you seem to look pretty well for someone who's been locked up for ten years..."

Daniel snorts a bit. "Well it wasn't easy...just gave me enough food to survive...being stuck in a cell for ten years, well I started doing like push ups and sits ups and pacing around a lot...paid off...still have the physic I had back when the Shadow Soldiers were still together..."

"Wait! I have one questions!" Henry raises his hand. "Daniel...what happened to those two big battle axes you use to carry on your back?"

He blinks and growls a little bit, looking off to the side. "They got stolen...okay? So they're somewhere..."

"Stolen...? Really? I mean...you use to love those things..."

"Yes! I know! They were stolen, okay?! I'd have them if they weren't!" He waves his arms around.

Mara sighs and uncrosses her arms. "Well...I'm glad you're with us now. Now we just have to find another member of our group...though I'm not sure where to go from here..." She rubs her chin in thought.

"For now, maybe it would be best to just get as far away as we can..." Ludwig looks behind them, the prison getting further and further away.

Mara stands up and nods. "Right, I think that would be our best bet...Argon! Get us as far away as you can!" She commands.

Henry blinks a few times. "Hey! You can't just tell him what to do ya know! Right Argon?" He looks at his friend and smiles.

Argon looks back at Henry and made a small hissing noise and tilts his head a bit. Henry blinks a few times and hangs his head a bit. "Ah...well he says he'll listen to you...so never mind me."

Daniel rolls his eyes and sighs, lying down on his back and stretching out. "So...for now, we just find someplace safe to land and try to figure things out from there...sounds about right..." He yawns and slowly starts to close his eyes. "Wake me up when we land..."

Ludwig raises a brow. "What? Are you going to sleep now? It's not even close to nighttime you know." He crosses his arms.

Grunting, Daniel ignores him and drifts off to sleep, snoring softly.

"Well, one thing you'll learn about Daniel is that he's super lazy, especially after a fight. So just let him be, it's better for everyone when he's fast asleep." Henry chuckles lightly and pats Ludwig on the back. He knows from experience after all, having been hit one to many times for trying to wake him up.

Glancing back at Henry, Ludwig sighs and decides to let him be and nods slowly. "Well, if you're sure, then I guess you're right..." He mutters under his breath. Seriously, he was suppose to be an assassin and all...he was very impressive back at the prison, but now? Not so much. He looks off into the distance.

He's manages to get half of the Shadow Soldiers together, but they still had a long journey ahead of them. He just hopes that everything ends up working out in the end. He hopes he's doing the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! The next chapter shall really introduce the next Shadow Soldier! I thought it was this one, but it's the next one! I hope you all are enjoying this so far!


	8. Chapter 8

In the middle of a heavily forested area, Ivan, Vladimir, and Monika walk up to tall iron gates. After a few seconds they soon creak open, a cobble stoned path leading up to a large brick building. The windows were thick and curtains pulled over them, bars covering the outside to prevent any sort of escape. They walk up to the wooden doors and Ivan knocks.

The doors soon creak open and standing there was a nurse, wearing an all white uniform and smiling. "Oh hello! We weren't expecting any Divine Guards! Please, come in." She moves aside and lets them in.

Ivan smiles and nods. "We are being here to talk to a Francis Bonnefoy."

Her expression slowly turns into a slight frightened one. "Oh...him...well, okay, but be mindful, he's...not quite right in the head..."

Ivan chuckles lightly and nods. "Right, so I've heard...but please, lead the way."

She takes a deep breath and nods before guiding the three of them down the hall, passing various rooms where they could here muffled talking and a few people yelling. She stops at thick wooden door, takes out a key from her pocket and unlocks it. The door creaks open and a flight of stairs is revealed.

"He's down there...just keep walking down the stairs then keep straight. You'll reach a steel door. You'll be able to talk to him through that...though I do have to warn you, he's very fond of...women and likes to...well...the things he says are quite...you'll find out..." She averts her gaze, indirectly letting Monika know.

The blonde woman nods. "Thank you so much for your help. Now let's go." She looks at both Ivan and Vladimir.

Without another word, the group heads down the stairs. The walls were made of heavy, thick, stone. Torches hung on the walls to help light the way. They walk for about a minute before stopping at a thick steel door. It has a small window with bars covering it. Then towards the bottom is a slot for a food tray to slide through.

Soft humming came from inside the room. But soon it stops and a soft chuckle comes from the man inside. "Aaahhh, do I have visitors?" A light smirk fills his features.

~o~o~o~o~

The small group lands on the ground, having found a cave to settle in. Though they had no idea where to look next. It was actually quite frustrating to be honest. They were at a dead end and didn't know where to start from here.

Daniel yawns and stretches out, groaning softly. "Ugh...here I hoped I would get a chance to sleep on something soft and warm." He grunts as he falls back and lies on the ground.

"Hey, at least you have a fire to keep you warm. I'm sure it was cold in that cell of yours." Henry says as he pokes the fire with a stick, trying to keep it going.

Ludwig looks over at Daniel who was lying down on his side, yawning. "So...Farkas, how did you end up joining the Shadow Soldier...?" He asks out of curiosity.

"Call me Daniel already, sheesh...and well...I knew Mara back when we were kids. But then...well, let's just say...some things happened and we got separated...she did end up finding me many many years later. She found me and well...asked me to be some assassin..."

_Flashback_

_The full moon was high in the night sky, causing a local village great panic and despair. For they had a beast problem. For the past year every full moon lit night, a strange wolf-like creature would come strolling through the village, attacking anyone it may see with its long sharp claws that shine in the bright moonlight.  
_

_Sitting in a local bar was a hooded woman, taking a sip from her cup. She lowers her hood, revealing herself to be Mara of course. She looks out the window and leaves some money on the table and stands up._

_"Hey ma'am! I don't think you going out this time of night is right...you see, we have a beast problem...every full moon-" The barkeep begins to tell her.  
_

_"A beast comes out and seems to pick a fight with anything it sees, is that right?" She asks, glancing back at the man standing at the bar, her grey eyes showing not a hint of fear or worry._

_He blinks a few times. Surprisingly she knew of the problem they were having. They weren't a big village or anything, so it was strange outsiders were aware of it. "Well...yeah, but how-"_

_"Simple...it's the reason why I'm here...let's just say, I'm going to help you with your problem. Now have a good night sir." She nods at him and walks out the front door._

_"Wait! Miss!" He tries to go after her, but the door closes and he grits his teeth. He wants to stop her, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. "Damn it..." He mutters under his breath._

_The cool night breeze blows past her, making her hood blow up in the wind. She looks up at the round orb in the sky and sighs a bit. Soon a loud howl pierces the night air like a needle. She quickly runs towards the howl, a plan already set in her mind. She quickly makes a sharp turn and skids to a stop._

_She was met with the sight of their beast. A wolf-like creature, currently lapping up some water from what looked like a horse trough. His black fur a bit shaggy, it had a belt wrapped around his waist, and it wore a pair of old, torn pants. Two fairly large battle axes were in holsters on his back. His golden eyes glance over at the female and narrow a bit. Water drips down from his wet muzzle as he stands up to his full height, towering over her._

_She looks up at the beast and crosses her arms. "It's been a long time Daniel."_

_He snorts, a puff of air coming out his nostrils. "Daniel...who do you call me this little girl..." His ears twitch as he tilts his head a bit to the side. His sharp canines that poked out his mouth a bit, shining in the moonlight._

_She sighs and looks up. "To be honest, I wasn't aware it was you until just know. I just heard rumors of a beast terrorizing a small village and thought I would look into it. But seeing this so cold beast...I know it's you Daniel even under all that mountain of fur and even through your wolf appearance, their is no doubt in my mind it's you. I can look into your eyes and tell."_

_He gives a light chuckle. "Mara, always the observant one aren't you? Well...I guess you've always been that way...ever since we were kids. You're right, it's me...long time no see."_

_"It has been a very long time...you've seem to have been through a lot...I was actually hoping for something like this, the beast being nothing more than just a human with a special belt like that." She points at his belt with the wolf engraved in the buckle. "I've read many books about them and I have to admit, I am quite surprised you're one of those people who owns one."_

_Daniel snorts a bit and crosses his arms. "Yeah well, how I got this is a long story I'm not willing to get into right now...now why exactly were you so interested in this?"_

_"I've been entrusted with a special mission by the king to create an elite force of assassins. I was going to ask this 'beast' if they'd be interested in such a job." She looks into the eyes of her childhood friend._

_He groans a bit and scratches his head. "An assassin huh...well, I guess I don't have anything better going on with my life...suppose I have the skills and ability for it too..." He looks up in thought and nods. "Well alright, you got yourself a new member."_

"So it went a little something like that..." Daniel rests his chin on the palm of his hand, thinking all the way back to that time of his life and sighs a bit. "But that was a long time ago..."

Ludwig nods and rubs his chin. "Well, that sure is an interesting story..." He mutters under his breath. "Thank you for telling me this Daniel." He nods.

"Yeah yeah, don't mention it kid." He yawns and lies down on his back. "Now, leave me alone...it's about time I catch some Zs...been a long day..."

"For someone who slept all the way here, he sure looks tired..." He mutters and gives the sleepy male a questionable look.

Henry chuckles lightly. "Well, that's Daniel for ya. He's a pretty lazy guy, a bit rude, and doesn't get along with to many people. But he's a good guy deep down, I promise you."

"Well, if you say so..." Ludwig shakes his head a bit as he stretches and rubs his head. "We should be getting some sleep." He looks outside the mouth of the cave where Mara had been sitting, keeping a look out.

Henry gives a thumbs up. "Don't worry buddy! We'll keep watch just in case we get spotted by someone or something. So go on and sleep." Argon crawls on Henry's shoulder and nods, blowing out a little smoke from his mouth.

Ludwig yawns and stretches, lying down on some moss he found growing near some rocks. He sighs and closes his eyes, watching the fire flicker and sway. The crackling soon helps him drift off into a deep sleep.

Henry smiles lightly at him and looks out towards the night sky. "We'll find everyone else, don't you worry guys." He smiles softly.

~o~o~o~o~o~

"Achoo!" Francis sniffles and wipes his nose. "Ah, pardon me." He chuckles and blows his nose into a tissue. "So, you've all come all this way to try and get me to spill where my other friends are, oui?" He chuckles lightly in amusement. "Because we are being hunted down? Honhonhon~! Well, as much I would ADORE to help, I don't know where anyone is~ I haven't had so much as a letter from anyone for over ten years and all."

"We've been at this for hours, he doesn't know anything..." Monika crosses her arms and sighs heavily. "I don't think he's going to be of use to us sir."

Vlad nods and sighs, setting his hands behind his head. "We've been at this for hours. He's not going to be of any use to us...can't we just take care of him now?"

Monika raises a brow and looks at Vladimir. "I just said that."

"Oh? Did you? Sorry I think I'm starting to doze off..." He yawns and stretches. Artemis yawns as well and curls up on his head.

"Honhonhon~! Oh, you want to take care of moi? Oh I know you're suppose to kill our little group, but I'm much to handsome and charming to die in a place this. Can't I have a fighting chance?"

"Don't worry. We will be taking him tomorrow and be taking care of him then...a sort of execution if you want to think of it like that." He crosses his arms and nods. "Monika, you can handle that can't you?"

She perks up a bit and nods. "Yes sir!" She sets her fist over her heart. "I will be able to handle the task if you wish for me to do so."

"Very good! Now it's time for us to be leaving for now." He looks at Vladimir. "Now, how long do you think it will take for you to pick up the other half of our team?"

Vlad rubs his chin in thought. "Well, on foot...it's about a week to get from here to Dunlin...so about a day to go get them on Artemis." Artemis makes a small hissing noise and nods, propped up on his friend's head.

"Good! Once we are taking care of Francis in the morning, we shall go pick up Allen, Feliciano, and Roderich." He claps his hands together as he's happy with his plan.

"Oh mon Dieu...my first time out of here in six months and it's for an execution? Well, at least I'll get a beautiful woman before I die~" There was a slight purr in his voice. "Oh, I'd love to quite literally, pick your mind~ If you get my tools we ca-"

"Not a chance you sick man." Monika stops him right in his tracks, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. "I can see why you're in here now..."

"Oh how you wound me mon cher! I am but a humble man who just happens to enjoy a little dissection. It's all in the name of science! I'm not crazy in the least! How I ended up here was a complete misunderstanding." He sighs a bit dramatically. "I go on a date, sure we had fun and even a little more...fun in her fathers barn~" He chuckles lightly. "Though she soon started throwing up and complained about pains in her stomach. Seems she had an inflamed appendix. Lucky for her I come prepared for any situation~! So I did a quick little surgery. Then her father walked in and saw me holding her appendix and her lying on the ground with stitches over her stomach. I saved her life, but got thrown in here." He sighs and shakes his head.

"Sheesh. You could have taken her to like a clinic or something ya weirdo." Vladimir makes a face of disgust. "Seriously, who does surgery in a barn? And who carries around the proper tools FOR surgery with them?!"

Francis pouts a bit. "Oh your words wound me so mon frere~" He chuckles softly. "But I just thought someone needed to know the truth." He sighs.

Monika sighs and shakes his head. "I think we should take our leave sir." She looks at the leader.

Ivan nods and turns on his heel. "I am thinking you are right. Now come, let us leave. We will be seeing you tomorrow Francis." He chuckles lightly and waves a bit as he walks away, the other two following him.

~o~o~o~o~

Ludwig groans a little as he tosses and turns in his sleep. He was having a strange dream. He was running in a seemliness endless black void. He pants and looks around, not seeing anything. It was actually a bit frustrating to be honest. Then he suddenly stops, a green fire erupting from the ground.

"Ludwig!" A voice calls to him from the fire. It booms with authority.

He jumps a bit, his eyes wide. "Ho-how do you...know my name..."

From inside the flames, a figure wearing a hood emerges inside the flames. "Ludwig...you have a destiny you must fulfill. The balance of power has shifted and thus you and the Shadow Soldiers must help balance it. Dark forces are manipulating the king and if they aren't stopped, this kingdom, and quite possibly this whole world will be in grave danger."

He holds a look of confusion. "What? Destiny? Dark forces? What are you talking about?" He shakes his head a bit. "Sure, I know that something's wrong and I'm going to try to stop it...with the help of the Shadow Soldiers...but...I don't know if I can call it destiny..."

"And how exactly did you get this idea? Trying to re-assemble a band of ex-assassins? I am sure you would have thought of many different ideas to handle the corruption of the kingdom."

"Well..." He looks down. "I...had a dream...and...I heard...something calling to me...it was saying something...I don't fully remember, but I brushed it off...then the next day I ran into some...sightseer of sorts..."

"She told you that you had a strange dream that told you, 'Find the Shadow Soldiers, save the kingdom.' am I correct?"

His eyes went wide and he looks up at him. "We-well yes! But how did you...?" He furrows his brows.

"As I told you, all of this is your destiny. Only you can bring the Shadow Soldiers together and take down this evil force. It will not be easy, but you'll be able to do it. I shall help you a little bit, but I can't get fully involved until you've gathered everyone together. I know you're all looking for another member, but it seems the other group have already found him. You'll all need to hurry and get him before they kill him. He's currently in a mental institution not far from where you are now." A puff of smoke appears out from the fire, showing an image of the mental institution. "So, go to him, before it's to late. They plan on killing him in the morning." The flames slowly start to dim.

"Wait! I have more questions! You can't leave now!" Ludwig reaches forward, trying to catch him. He has a thousand questions! Why him? How did he know about the elderly woman? It was all confusing.

"More shall be revealed once all six have been gathered. For now, go! GO tell the others!" The flames vanish and Ludwig gasps as he sits up, panting heavily. He looks around and rubs his head.

Daniel groans as he sits up and looks over at him. "What's the matter...? You have a bad dream or somethin kid..." He yawns and scratches his head.

"Something the matter Ludwig?" Mara asks, walking over to him and kneeling down next to him.

"Ah...well...I know this sounds...hard to believe, but...I know where to find another member of your group."

The three look at each other, surprise written on their faces, but they lean in, ready to listen. They want to know who they were going to get next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I bet you were all surprised who the next shadow soldier was! Yep it is indeed France! Don't worry, he's not really...insane! He just...really likes opening people up. He's a sweet man! Also I bet you're wondering about Ludwig's dream and what that was all about, right? Well keep reading and eventually you'll find out soon~
> 
> Francis - France


	9. Chapter 9

It was the break of dawn, the sun just starting to peak over the horizon. Francis was asleep in his cell, smiling softly and muttering under his sleep, holding his pillow. It was a good dream. A happy dream. A dream of good times.

_"How many times do I have to tell you ya crazy doctor, you can NOT go and experiment on me!" Daniel growls and glares at him._

_"Oh mon ami! It's not just experimenting! I just...want a liiiittle dissection time! I just want to see if that belt of yours actually has some internal side affects!" He pouts and crosses his arms._

_The much bigger man growls at him and glares from across the campfire. Mara sighs and shakes her head as she glances between the two._

_"Please, you're not cutting him open. He wouldn't stop complaining about it. It would save us all the trouble." She crosses her arms and looks over at Francis who hangs his head, but agrees none the less._

_Daniel sighs and relaxes a bit. "The last thing I need is doctor crazy opening me up..." He mumbles under his breath._

_"I'm not crazy!" He pouts. "I just enjoy exploring the human body!" He crosses his arms and sticks his nose up in the air._

_"Come on Daniel! Don't be so mean!" Henry slings his arm over his shoulder. "He's just being him! Nothing wrong with that!" He chuckles lightly. "Now, can we all try and get along?" He looks between the two.  
_

_Daniel sighs heavily and rolls his eyes. "I guess...alright, fine. I'm sorry for calling you crazy. I didn't mean it, okay?" He shrugs a bit and mumbles under his breath. "Sorry..."_

_Francis smiles. "Oh mon ami~! Of course I forgive you! Now come here!" He grins and runs over to him and hugs him tight._

_Daniel blinks and groans a bit, patting his head. "Er...yeah, right...you can let go now Doc...come on..." He feels a bit awkward, but he let's him hug as long as he wants._

A loud knock awakes him from his peaceful sleep. He sighs heavily and sits up in his bed. He stretches and sighs a bit. His breakfast slides through the slot on the door. He walks over and grabs the tray and sits down on the cold floor. He runs his hand through his tangled wavy blonde hair. He feels his hairy face and pouts. He really wishes he could shave. They didn't allow him to anything sharp, so he was stuck with a beard for now.

"Mon dieu...how am I suppose to get myself out of this mess...? Am I actually going to die today...? If I do, what about everyone else? Are they going to be alright without moi?" He sighs and looks down at his food, poking it with his fork.

A soft knock comes from the door before someone spoke. "So, Mr. Bonnefoy...any last requests before your execution?" A worker asks from the other side of the door.

Francis looks up in thought and chuckles. "How about my belongings? As well as a razor and some shaving supplies?"

The man on the other side sighs a bit. "Alright, sure. I'll be back in a minute with your things." The man left from the door.

Francis chuckles and looks up in thought, smiling a bit. "Ah, I am glad I decided to wear my old uniform when they had found me...I knew they'd keep it safe and I'd always know where it is." He smiles at the thought, looking up and chuckling softly.

Soon Francis receives what he requests. First he shaves off his beard, leaving just a few hairs on his chin. Then he put on his old uniform. A pair of dark brown pants, a light blue button up shirt and a doctors coat. He ties up his heavy set boots. Hit footwear look more like something a hiker would wear rather than a doctor.

Coming down the stairs was Ivan, Monika, and Vladimir. Vlad yawns and groans, rubbing his eyes. "Ugh...it's so early...can I go back to sleep after the execution? Please? That'd be great." He whines and Artemis yawns and flops on top o his head.

"Suck it up Vladimir. It's best to do this early so we can get this over with as soon as possible. Then we will have only five of them to deal with." Monika crosses her arms.

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah yeah, I get it Mrs. Serious..." He crosses his arms and pouts a bit.

Ivan chuckles a bit as he glances at the two. "Now do not worry my friend. This should not be taking long."

They walk up to the cell and Ivan unlocks the door, hinges creaking as it slowly opens. Francis was sitting on his bed and smiling.

"Bonjour~ It's nice to see you all face to face. Francis Bonnefoy at your service~" He winks and chuckles lightly. "I suppose I'm going to be your prisoner today, oui?" He holds out his arms.

"...this guy sure is kinda weird if you ask me." Vladimir mumbles a bit as he sets his hands behind his head. "So, can we get this over with already?"

"You're being impatient Vladimir." Monika sighs heavily and glances at him. He seems to always be complaining about something and it was a little annoying to be honest.

Vlad glances at her and pouts. "I'm not being impatient! I just want to hurry this along is all!" He waves his arms around and groans. Artemis nods and crawls down to his shoulder and squeaks. Vlad blinks and smiles, rubbing his dragon friend under the chin. "Awwwwh~ You're much to sweet~"

Ivan snaps his fingers and a pair of ice handcuffs form around Francis' wrists. "Now, let us get going." He looks at Monika. "Do you mind leading our prisoner out, just so he doesn't try and escape?"

"Yes sir!" She salutes and walks over to Francis. "Get up." She demands, staring at him with a slight glare.

Francis chuckles and stands up. "Well, I can't refuse the request of such a young woman~" He winks. "I may be a cold, cruel, assassin, but I DO have a soft spot for the ladies~ Honhonhon." He chuckles and blows her a kiss.

Monika stares at him and takes out her mace. "If you don't get moving, I'm going to bash your skull in right here, right now..." Her face serious, eyes piercing through his soul.

Francis laughs nervously and starts to sweat. "Ah! Right, okay! I'm going~" He starts to walk and pouts. It was rare a women would be able to resist his charm and good looks. It made him a little sad.

He was lead out of the mental institution and he looks around, smiling softly and taking a deep breath. It's been a long time since he's been outside. It felt so nice. The wind blowing through his hair and clean shaven face, the birds chirping and flying overhead. He sighs happily. To bad this was going to be his last moments.

He was then lead to a thick wooden pole in the ground and tied up nice and tight to it. He inhales, taking in all the fresh, clean, air, that he could. "Aaahhh...at least I had a chance to be outside once more..." He chuckles softly.

Monika steps up and holds her mace in hand. "Francis Bonnefoy, also known as Doctor. You are being charged with crimes from your past. The king wishes for your death and as Divine Guards, we are here to bring his wishes to reality. Do you have anything you wish to say?"

Francis hums a bit and chuckles. "Non, not really. I just hope wherever my friends are, they are safe." He sighs a bit, sad he would never be able to see his friends again after this.

Monika nods and starts to spin her mace around, yellow sparks of electricity surrounding it. "This mace has a magical attribute of lightening."

"So you're about to get the SHOCKING of your life!" Vlad laughs and slaps his knee, setting his hands on his knees.

Monika forms a sweat drop on her head and sighs. "Yes...but that joke was terrible...please don't make another one."

Vlad stops laughing and pouts, crossing his arms and mumbling to himself. "No sense of humor...can't even make a pun..." Artemis looks up him and then perks up. He soon starts to growl and climb on top of Vlad's head and hisses. "Huh? What's up Artemis? Something the matter?"

Francis closes his eyes, ready the end to come, but suddenly a loud howl came from what seemed like everywhere. Monika stops spinning her weapon, causing the sparks to stop. A large shadow zooms over them and something fell from the sky and lands hard on the ground, causing a cloud of dirt to rise.

They all cough and and soon the massive figure stands, black fur, pointed ears, and a tail that swishes back and forth were seen. Francis couldn't believe his eyes. It was...

"DANIEL?!" He pulls a bit against his restraints then freezes as something big and heavy lands behind him. He slowly looks up to see the bottom of Argon's chin. He hisses and growls and roars. "ARGON?!"

Henry laughs and jumps down. "Hey Francis!" He lands next to him and grins big. "What's up? We're here to save ya!" He smiles and gives a thumbs up.

Mara lands on the other side of him and nods. "Francis. Nice to see you once again. Seems Ludwig's dream was right. I'm glad we managed to make it here on time."

Ivan frowns. "It seems like our other team wasn't able to stop them...alright! You two! Prepare to take them down! Let's go! We can't allow them to take another member!"

"Yes sir!" Both said at the same times, getting ready for battle.

Ludwig jumps down from Argon and goes behind Francis, waiting for the right moment to untie him.

"Henry, I trust you to take the other dragon user." She glances at Henry.

"Alright, on it!" He grins and whistles. "Alright Argon! Let's go up in the air!" He jumps up on his back and his dragon roars before taking off into the air.

"Artemis!" Vlad looks at his trusty dragon who spreads his wings and takes off into the air. He was enveloped in light blue flames and grows larger when the flames disappear. He lands on the ground and Vlad gets on his back. "This is gonna be fun~" Artemis roars and takes off into the air after Argon and Henry.

"Daniel, you take the mace wielder. You think you can handle that?" She asks, even though she already knows the answer to that question.

He chuckles and the blades on his gauntlets extend to their full eighteen inch length. "Oh you bet~" He howls and snarls, lunging forward.

Monika narrows her eyes and jumps up, making Daniel crash into the ground. "Fighting a werewolf...I didn't think my day would change so drastically...but this shouldn't be so hard." She lands behind and glares.

Daniel growls and turns around, standing his full height. He slashes at her with his blades. She manages to dodge every attempt to try and slash her.

Ivan chuckles and draws his blade from the metal pipe he keeps in his jacket. "Well...you are being the very hard to kill now aren't you? You know we can't allow you all to leave this place alive."

Mara's sword forms in her hand and she grips it tight. "You're not going to have much of a choice. We are going to leave here, very much alive." She narrows her eyes.

He gives a soft chuckle and nods. "We shall see about that."

The two charge forward, blades colliding as each tries to cut the other, but manage to block the attack. Sparks fly as steel hits steel and slide against one another.

Ludwig starts to undo the knots from the rope. "Don't worry, I'll have you out of here soon sir!"

Francis glances back at him and chuckles. "Honestly...they somehow knew exactly where I was and came to save me...I feel as though I'm in some sort of dream..." He smiles softly.

"This is no dream, trust me. But don't worry, you'll be out soon, I promise!" He manages to undo the knot and the ropes fall. "There! Got it!" He smiles and nods.

Francis stretches and sighs happily. "Ah~ Much better! Now...it's been a long time, but I suppose I can help out, oui~?" He chuckles softly.

"Looks like we meet again, Draco." Vlad smirks, crossing his arms. "This time will be the last time though." He takes out his flail from his jacket and smirks.

"I highly doubt that." He chuckles lightly. "Alright, but seriously. You can call me Henry. Draco is such an old name ya know. Now! Let's get this started!" He takes out his war hammer from his back and twirls it around before gripping it.

"GO!" They both yell and each dragon roars and fly at each other.

Daniel jumps back, avoiding a thunderbolt that was shot at him. He growls and crouches down on all fours, scratching his foot against the ground. He charges forward and jumps up, rearing back one of his fist and getting ready to strike her. She holds out his hand and catches his fist. Daniel's ears lower. She smirks and starts to spin him around and sending him crashing into a tree. He yelps and groans, hitting the ground and shaking his head.

"Okay...so you're a lot stronger than you look..." He growls and gets down on all fours. "You have a secret?"

"I'm one sixteenth giant on my mothers side. So in short, I have a lot of strength. It happens every so often in my family. So If I were you, I'd try a little harder." She smirks and aims her weapon at Daniel. "Lightening!" A bolt of lightening shoots out at Daniel.

His eyes go wide and he rolls out the way. "Damn it..." He growls and charges forward and jumps in the air, his blades out in front of him.

Monika narrows her eyes and easily jumps back, causing Daniel's blades to dig into the ground. She aims her mace at the wolf-man who retracts his blades and growls at her. She was about to shoot out a bolt at lightening at him, but suddenly her weapon was kicked out of her hand.

Sliding in front of his companion was Francis who smirks and winks. "Now now mon cherie~ I can't let you go and kill one of my friends. Now she seems like a bit to much for you Mon ami. Let moi help~"

Daniel grunts as he stands up and shakes out his fur a bit. "Sure, why the hell not. I don't exactly have my axes, so it's a bit inconvenient for me...try not to get in my way."

"Funny...I was thinking the same thing~ Honhonhon~" He smirks and gets ready to attack. "What happened to them?"

He groans loudly. "They were stolen okay? So I don't have them anymore!"

"Two against one...it's not really fair, but then again, you're both assassins, so I am not very surprised..." She narrows her eyes and suddenly makes a b-line for her weapon, causing Daniel to snarl and run at her on all fours.

Mara and Ivan slide back as they connect sword with sword. Mara charges forward and slices up diagonally, a black streak seemingly follows and quickly fades as Ivan was able to jump back and avoid the deadly blade.

"The Shadow Slicer...a sword that is made up of concentrated shadows forced into one blade...legend says it can cut through both light and dark...forged years ago to help fend off demons and shadow creatures. I never thought it was real to be honest." He chuckles lightly. "How did you acquire such a weapon?"

"You don't need to worry about that. You should focus more on the battle at hand." She lunges, shooting the sword out forward, stabbing him in the shoulder.

Ivan flinches and eyes go wide. Suddenly his shoulder and arm starts to crack until he turned to ice and fell apart. Her eyes go wide at the realization of it being a fake. Ivan suddenly appears behind her, sword drawn back and he swings it, aiming for her neck. She manages to quickly turn and block it but was sent flying back. She manages to slide back on her feet and stop, but it took a lot out of her, causing her to pant a bit.

"Quite the interesting woman you are." Ivan chuckles lightly. "But you're all not getting away." He lunges forward, ready to run his sword right through her.

She narrows her eyes and holds up her hand, a dark energy forming around it. Ivan's eyes grow wide as he stops, his feet sliding against the ground. Mara closes her hand and everything goes black for Ivan. He blinks and looks around trying to figure out what's happening.

Mara whistles and Henry blinks, just missing Vlad as he tries to slice the other man's neck with the axe half of his weapon. He was standing on Artemis' back and nods. "ARGON!" He jumps down and Argon flies under, catching him.

Vlad looks confused and blinks as he watches Henry leave their fight. "Hey! Get back here! Where are you going?!" He looks over the edge of his dragon.

Argon swoops down and lands on the ground. Mara climbs on his back. "FALL BACK EVERYONE! THE MISSION WAS ACCOMPLISHED! LET'S GO!" She yells to her team.

Ludwig nods and runs over, climbing on the back of the dragon. Daniel had just dodged a thunderbolt and Francis lands next to him, looking confused. Daniel nods and grabs him before making a run towards the dragon.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Monika aims her weapon on the two, then shot a thunderbolt at them.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Vlad taps Artemis on the back and the dragon releases a stream of blue fire from his mouth at Argon.

Both attacks were ready to strike there intended targets. Mara raises her hand, dark energy surrounding it. "Dark Void." Suddenly within the blink of an eye a large dome covers her and her team, protecting them from the attacks.

Daniel helps Francis up on the dragon and climbs on himself. "Alright! Let's go! We got Francis!"

"Let's go!" Henry grins and Argon spreads his wings and flies up. An opening opens up for them and they make their escape, the dome around Ivan disappearing as they were getting further and further away.

He narrows his eyes and sheathes his sword. "They are smart...and powerful..." He chuckles in light amusement.

"Should we go after them?" Vladimir asked when Artemis lands on the ground next to him.

Ivan shakes his head. "Nyet...we have to first get the other half of our team...they have sadly added one more to their ranks, a very...smart, yet, scary man...We must regroup and try to find the next member before they do..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuunnnn! Anyways, we have added Francis! :D I hope you all didn't actually think he was gonna die! That would have sucked you know. Anyways hope everyone is enjoying! Two more Shadow Soldiers left! Anyone wanna take a guess on who the last two are? And if you think this story is close to its end, you have the wroooong idea my 're not even half way there.


	10. Chapter 10

The Shadow Soldiers had regrouped at the cave they had slept in and now were trying to figure out their next move. Though Francis was celebrating his new found freedom.

"OH MAGNIFIQUE! I feel so aliiiiive~" He sings and spins around, inhaling deeply. He hasn't felt this happy in years! "Oh my old friends coming to save me from being killed~ It warms the heart~!" He laughs and kicks his heels together. "I've been stuck in that god forsaken asylum for six months! Can you believe it?! Someone thought I was crazy..."

Daniel snorts. "I don't blame 'em...you may be a bit...off in the head, but I wouldn't call ya crazy. But it's nice having our doctor back and all. Since we're on this journey of 'destiny'" He says in a mocking tone. He grunts a bit as Francis hugs him around the neck.

"Oohhh~ Still the grumpy wolf that I knew and loved~ Honhonhon!" He grins and let's him go. "Alright! So, what exactly is going on again? Why is the king trying to kill us?" He raises a brow.

Mara clears her throat. "Well...we aren't sure why, but we DO know wanted posters have been given to all Divine Guards, so they know what we look like...though it seems a special force of Divine Guards has been created by the king whose soul purpose is to hound us every step of the way and kill us..." She rubs her chin.

"I don't get it! With all the Divine Guards already doing that, why make a special force? It's really confusing..." Henry scratches the top of his head.

Ludwig hums in thought. "Well...one thought crosses my mind...I suppose it's more of an insurance sort of situation...You have an elite force made up of the strongest Divine Guards in the kingdom. Meaning you have to watch out for them, as well as every other Divine Guard who could meet up with. It's quite the situation." He rubs his chin.

Daniel looks up in thought. "Guess that makes sense. Have every Divine Guard out for our blood, then get the strongest ones follow us around and try to kill us. Fun." He grunts a bit. "Whatever. As long as we get the final two before anyone else does, I think we'll be fine."

"Oh! We are missing Pyro and Diablo now aren't we?" Francis taps his chin and hums. "Sadly, I'm not sure where either of them are...wait, how did you all find out where I was?" He raises a brow. "I hadn't had any contact with anyone from our old group..."

"Well. It seems our friend, Ludwig over here, had some strange dream where he was told exactly where you were and what was going to happen to you if we didn't hurry." Mara explains. "Though it still boggles the mind..."

Ludwig rubs the back of his neck. "We-well...I'm honestly not to sure myself...I barely remember what was happening and what was said, but I remembered where to find him." He points to Francis.

"Honhon~ Well whatever it was, I'm glad it happened! I'm so GLAD to be out of that asylum! They kept me in my own tightly sealed cell in the basement." He pouts and crosses his arms. "I felt like a prisoner! I even grew a BEARD!"

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, Daniel was an actual prisoner up in Dunlin Prison for the past ten years." Henry chuckles and points to Daniel who growls at him.

Francis' eyes went wide. "Dunlin!? Really Daniel?!" He looks at the hairy man and chuckles. "Honestly, I'm not surprised, but still. You must have done something pretty bad to end up there mon ami..."

He shrugs and rubs the back of his head. "Well...yeah, killed a Divine Guard and all...got caught ripping out his throat. I was full wolf, so yeah. Got thrown in a cell and all. What about you? What exactly did you do?" He crosses his arms.

He chuckles. "Well...honestly, I had to perform an emergency surgery for a young woman I was out on a date with...her father found me holding her appendix...he asked what I was doing so I made a joke and said 'Getting to know her better.' He didn't find it very funny and the next day, some doctors arrived at my house and took me away! Figured that would happen, so I wore my old uniform one more time. But lucky for me, that means I have some of my old weapons~" He grins.

Mara stands up and nods. "Alright. Now we have to figure out where our next destination should be. We have to find another member...the sooner we know where to start going the better..." She rubs her chin. "But with no clues to go on, we can't do anything..." She sighs a bit.

Henry raises his hand and waves it around. "Oh oh! What if Ludwig has another dream! Maybe that'll help!" He gins and bounces up and down. "I mean it worked before, right? Maybe it'll work again! You never know!"

Mara raises a brow. "Henry...I'm not sure we can rely on Ludwig's dreams to help us find our missing teammates. It's illogical. Anyone else have any ideas on how to find either one of them?"

"Maybe e can ask around different towns and stuff? Seems like our best bet to be honest." Daniel shrugs.

"Oh! Or we can get Daniel to sniff them out! I'm sure he remembers what they smell like!" Francis beams at his idea.

Daniel growls at him and pulls Francis into a tight headlock. "Shut up! Just die already you idiot doctor!"

"Daniel no! Let him go!" Henry waves his arms around as Francis waves his arms around and kicks his feet.

Ludwig wasn't really paying attention at the moment as he rubs his chin in thought. Was his dream just a dream? Could it have actually been something...more? Even if he did know exactly what it would he be able to just sleep and have it again? Their were so many questions bouncing around in his head, he didn't know what to think. He falls over and lies on his back, closing his eyes. He hadn't realized how tired he was, his eyelids grew heavy and he was suddenly asleep.

"Huh? Did he fall asleep?" Henry blinks and looks over at the passed out Ludwig and tilts his head. Argon tilts his head as well as he climbed up on Henry's shoulder.

"Let him sleep. Wish I could go to sleep. But noooo it's to eaarrrllyyyy!" Daniel grumbles and let's go of Francis who pouts and rubs his neck.

"Daniel. It's the early morning. You can wait to sleep." Mara sighs and rubs her temples.

"Awh, you're not use to being up this early now are you?" Francis chuckles and pats his back.

Daniel grumbles and crosses his arms. "Oh hush..." He shakes his head.

Meanwhile, in Ludwig's dream he was once again in darkness. It was pitch black and he couldn't see a thing. He walks around, hoping to find something, hopefully a door. But he doubts he was going to be that lucky.

"Hello!" He calls out, his voice echoing. But he didn't get an answer. He sighs heavily. "Look! I don't know, if this is just some dream, or...what! But! I need help! Do you think...that maybe, you can help me figure out where the next Shadow Soldier is! Please?! Any hint would be nice!" He looks around, nothing. He was about to give up, but suddenly green flames erupted behind him, causing him to spin around.

"Ludwig." The booming voice sounds once more. "I am sorry, but I can not help you this time. I was only aloud to tell you the whereabouts of one of the Shadow Soldiers because they were in mortal danger. I can not help you find the last two. But I can assure you that you will find them. All I can tell you is that you should try gathering information in the nearest town."

Ludwig blinks a few times. "But wait! I still have many questions! Why me?! Why is it my destiny?! And how do you know all these things? What dark forces are coming! Please!"

"All shall be revealed once all six are gathered. Now go on Ludwig. You have work to be done." The flames dim out and Ludwig gasps as he suddenly sits up.

Henry yells and falls back as he was looking down at him. "Whoa! Ludwig! You scared me a little bit! What? Did you have another weird dream? Anything we can use?" He tilts his head a bit.

He blinks and rubs his head. "Ah...not...really? But...well, we should go to the nearest town...try to find a lead..." He rubs his eyes a bit, groaning a little.

"Wait but wasn't that my id-"

Mara nods. "That is a smart idea. Now to the nearest town. Come on everyone! We don't have anytime to lose!"

"AYE CAPTAIN!" Henry, Daniel, and Francis said at the same time and salute.

Henry walks outside and Argon jumps off his shoulder and glides to the ground where he grows his to his larger form. "ALL ABOOOOOARD THE ARGON EXPRESS!"

So they all board Argon who takes off into the sky. While on the way there, Ludwig looks at Francis and couldn't help but ask him something.

"So...Francis, how exactly did you end up joining the Shadow Soldiers...?" Ludwig couldn't help but ask. It seems to be his usual question for everyone they find to join once again.

Francis hums and looks up in thought. "Well...let's see...back then, I was the villages leading doctor back where I lived..."

_It was a nice clear night. In a small village near the base of the mountains was were Francis did his practices. He was the villages leading doctor and just about everyone went to him and the few other doctors always looked to him for guidance. He was currently with a patient in his office._

_"Now my dear, you will need to stay off your foot for at least two weeks, alright~?" He winks and chuckles at the small child who giggles and nods._

_"Okay Dr. Francis! Thank you!" She grins big up at him. Her mother picks her up and smiles at Francis before leaving._

_He sighs happily and waves as they leave. That was his last patient for the night and he was going to relax. He flips the sign on the building to closed and locks the door with his key._

_"Francis Bonnefoy." A female voice calls out behind him, making him yelp and spin around. Removing her hood, Mara reveals her face._

_"Ah...oui, that is moi. Now what is a beautiful woman such as yourself doing out this late at night~?" He chuckles softly and straightens himself out and grins._

_"You seem to be a regular doctor of this small village, but their is something else about you you're not showing everyone." She stares at him with those calculating grey eyes of hers._

_Francis raises a brow. "Oh? And what exactly am I hiding from everyone?" He smirks lightly, finding this very interesting._

_"This village has suffered from plenty of grave robberies for a number of years. Bodies being dug up merely hours after being buried. Quite strange. No one has any clue why this is happening or who is doing it."_

_"Oh? Are you implying that you know who is doing this? Why are you telling me? I'd suggest going to the chief of police with such information mon cherie." He chuckles softly._

_"You are right. I am aware who is doing this. Though I doubt you want me to go to the police with this information. It wouldn't benefit you any. You would have to try and pack up as much as you could and try to escape."_

_His face grows serious and he raises a brow. "Are you implying that it is moi who is doing this?"_

_"That is correct..."_

_He smirks and chuckles softly. "Well...aren't you a smart girl~ You are correct. I tend to go to the the cemetery and collect samples. The more fresh, the better. It's quite hard doing experiments when not being able to use living subjects, but it's better than nothing I suppose."_

_"I must ask, what kind of experiments do you do exactly?" She raises a brow, her curiosity peaking a bit._

_He chuckles. "Well...I do enjoy exploring the human body and figuring out what makes it tick, what it can withstand, what it dislikes, what it likes...each body is a little different. You can really get to know a person by how their body works and what condition it is in when they have died..." He sighs happily, setting his hand on his cheek and leaning on it a bit. "I happen to do various experiments in all honesty."_

_She nods. "Quite interesting...I have been given the task of creating an elite squad of assassins...having a doctor would be beneficial to the group. So, would you be interested in joining? I'm sure you will be able to get plenty of living subjects if you wish."_

_Francis looks up in thought and rubs his chin. He gives a soft chuckle and nods. "Well...I don't see why not. It sounds like a fun time~"_

"And that's how I ended up joining." He sighs an smiles fondly at the old memories an sets his hand on his cheek. He smiles softly. It seems like forever since that day.

Ludwig crosses his arms and nods. "I see...so...what exactly did you do with the bodies you er...dug up...?" He really wishes he didn't just ask him that, but his curiosity was peaking.

"Honhonhon~ You don't nee to worry about that~" He winks and smiles at him. "I have to keep my own secrets now don't I, oui~?"

Ludwig sighs in relief. "I couldn't agree more! Right! Feel free to keep it to yourself." He clears his throat and nods.

Argon lands on the ground and looks back at Henry who nods. "Alright! So we've made it to the nearest city! So let's go and see if we can find Pyro!" He points forward and grins.

They all get off Argon who shrinks an crawls up to Henry's shoulder and relaxes there and yawns. Mara nods and turns to everyone.

"NOW! We are searching for any information we can get on our teammate! Someone should accompany Ludwig as he does not know what he looks like and all."

Henry waves his arm up in the air. "Ooohhhh! I'll go with him!" He grins an laughs. "Since we've been together already I say it'll be great!"

Mara nods and turns on her heel. "Alright! MOVE OUT!"

"YEAH!" Henry cheers, really hoping someone else would join in, but no one did so he pouts and hangs his head down. "If Pyro and Diablo were here they'd have cheered with me..."

Ludwig pats his back and sighs, shaking his head. "Come on Henry, let's go." He starts to walk and Henry follows behind him, head still hanging low.

Daniel puts his hands in his pockets. "I'll take a look around by myself. I think it'd be best."

Mara nods. "That sounds good."

"Alright then I shall also look on my own!" Francis beams, grinning big.

"No. You're coming with me. I don't think it's wise to let you go alone for the time being. Considering you haven't been able to do any...experiments lately you're most likely itching to get your hands on someone."

He pouts and crosses his arms. "I can control myself! But...you're not wrong..." He sighs heavily and hangs his head low. "Okay okay fine! I'll come with you..."

Daniel points and laughs. "HA! You got to be babysat!"

Mara motions for him to follow. "Come on Francis." Francis follows, his head hanging low.

Daniel snorts and stretches as he goes off to do his own thing.

So they go off into the town in search of Pyro! Little did they know, they were closer to him than they think. In the town, inside a building a scene was playing out.

"Any last words?" A man with eyes as blue as the sky was glaring at a man who was on his knees, smirking big at him.

"You're a mad man Jones...you're not gonna get away with this!" He laughs. "So kill me. But this isn't going to be the end. Someone is going to stop you. You can bet on that."

He chuckles and grins. "Don't worry...I was hoping this was just the beginning~" He pulls the trigger and with a bang the man falls over.

The man runs his hand through his golden blonde locks, a cowlick sticking up on his head. "How was that?" He grins and looks at the director who sniffles.

"Magnificent Alfred! You're the best Madman Jones I've ever had! Oh perfect as always! That's a wrap! Take five!" He laughs an claps his hands.

Alfred chuckles. "I can't wait for tonight! I have a feeling tonight is gonna be real special!" He grins and laughs. Alfred F. Jones. Also known as Pyro. He's been traveling with an acting troupe and playing the bad guy known as MAdman Jones for awhile now. Little does he know, his past is about to catch up with him very soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! YES PYRO IS AMERICA! SURPRISE SURPRISE! Bet you didn't see that one coming, right? Well I hope you guys all enjoyed!
> 
> Alfred: America


	11. Chapter 11

Daniel lifts his nose up in the air and takes a sniff. He hums softly. He thought he smelled something familiar and glances around. He growls softly and walks forward and sees a corner. He slowly stops growling and crept around the corner and takes a peak.

"A flier for some play?" Standing in front of a wall that had a flier pasted on it was Allen. He snorts and puts his hands behind his head. "Aren't we suppose to be looking for...you know who?" He raises a brow and glances over at Ivan.

The taller man shakes his head. "You are not seeing the big picture...you should be taking the look at the picture. Does the villain look familiar?"

Allen blinks and looks at the picture closely and then his eyes go wide and he grins. "Well well well, look who ended up being an actor. That's Pyro isn't it?"

Ivan smiles and nods. "You are being correct Allen." He reaches inside his jacket and pulls out his wanted poster and holds them side by side. "The curl, glasses, both have nice big grins. Now we first have to make sure that's our man before anything else. We do not want to be wrong and hurt an innocent. So we will be attending the play! If he is being our guy, we simply wait until after the play to take him into custody. If not, then we will just be the leaving. Either way we get to enjoy play."

Allen sighs and sets his hands behind his head. "I guess we can't just go attacking him during the play...don't want to cause a panic or whatever...fine sounds good to me."

"Good! We should go alert the others about the plan!" He nods and puts the wanted poster away into his jacket and heads down the street. "I am hoping we will not be interrupted once more..." He frowns.

Allen snorts. "If they show up I'm sure we can all take 'em!" He grins and stops, sniffing the air a bit and looking over his shoulder to a corner of a building. "Huh...could have sworn I smelled somethin..."

"Come on Allen!" Ivan calls to him.

Allen grunts a bit and catches up with him. Maybe he was imagining things, but he could have sworn he smelled something...familiar? It was probably a stray dog or something so he kept it to himself.

Daniel presses his back against the building. He curses a bit under his breath. "Damn it...they're a step ahead of us already..." He sighs heavily. He peeks around the corner and sees they are gone. He quickly runs up and tears off the poster from the wall and goes to find the others.

Once they were all together once more he shows them the poster. "Look at this! It's a poster for a play happening tonight!" He looks at them all.

"...did...did you wanna see the play or something...?" Henry scratches the top of his head.

Daniel drags his hand down his face. "No you idiot! Look CLOSER!" He points to the villain on the poster.

Mara raises a brow. "Wait...it can't be..." She gets a closer look. "Is it?"

"Wait! Is that Alfred?!" France blinks a few times and laughs. "H-he's an actor now?! Wow! I never thought I'd see the day!"

"I mean...that one time he talked about acting? But I never thought he'd actually go THROUGH with it. He just never seemed like the acting type to me." Henry chuckles and rubs the back of his head.

"So...Pyro, or rather, Alfred, is an actor in a play? And it looks like he plays the villain. I've heard of this play...it's suppose to be really good. It's gotten rave reviews." Ludwig rubs his chin and hums softly.

"Correct...I have also heard of this play by name, but I never thought Alfred would be apart of it..." Mara rubs her chin. "But none the less, we have our lead and we are going to follow it."

Daniel nods. "Right, but...our pursers are here too...they plan on going to the play tonight. Then when it's over, they're gonna take him into custody. So we're either gonna get to him first and get him out of here, or we're gonna wait until tonight, which I don't suggest we do."

Mara nods. "First we have to find where this play is being held and talk to Alfred. Honestly, I highly doubt he would abandon the play when we confront him...but the very least we can do is let him know what's going on."

They all nod, agreeing with her.

"So...where is the play being held at?" Henry asks tilting his head a bit. Argon tilts his head as well as he rests on his shoulder.

Daniel points to the location on the poster and they set off to go get Alfred.

Meanwhile, at the theater hall, Alfred had just finished the last dress rehearsal for the day and stretches as he leaves out the back door. "Aaahhh, can't wait to get something to drink and eat!" He grins and sets his hands behind his head. He whistles happily as he walks down the street a skip in his step and a song in his heart.

"Man I can't wait for the show tonight, it's gonna kick ASS! I just know it! I love premiering in new places!" He laughs and sighs happily. Though suddenly a pair of hands wrap around his mouth from a near by alley and drags him down it and into an empty building. He flails around and yells, or at least tries. He was thrown down to the floor and scrambles up. It was dark, the door slams shut as soon as he was pulled in. "What's going on!? Who did this?! If you're a fan of mine! You're creepin me out dude!"

"Really? Did ya have to drag him in and throw him on the floor?" One voice asks.

"Well I had to get him in quickly! What else was I suppose to do?!" Another voice yells.

"You can always count on him to be violent and mean about even the simplest of tasks."

"What was that?!"

Alfred furrows his brows. They sound...familiar to him...but it couldn't be, right? It's ridiculous! Suddenly some candles are lit and the room brightens up.

Daniel was currently choking Henry and growling at him. Henry waves his arms around and tries to pry him off his neck. Francis was trying to pull the large man off and Mara just sighs and shakes her head.

Alfred blinks a few times and rubs his eyes, thinking this is some sort of dream or sick joke! "Wait...gu-guys?! No way! It...can't be! HUH?!"

Daniel finally let's go of Henry and grunts a bit. "Who else would it be? Your fan club?" He sighs and crosses his arms.

Henry rubs his neck and adjusts himself a bit, chuckling lightly. "Hey Alfred, long time no see." He grins and chuckles.

Francis winks. "Bonjour mon ami~"

Mara gives a nod. "Good day Alfred. It has been a long time. I hope you are doing well."

Ludwig waves. "Hallo. You don't know me, but still. It's an honor to meet you sir." He bows his head.

Alfred chuckles lightly. "Now...I take it you all didn't just come to see me act, right?" He jumps up. "GUYS IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YA! IT'S BEEN TEN YEARS!" He sniffles and wipes a tear from his eye. "Oh man now I'm gettin all emotional."

Henry sniffles and chuckles. "I know...it's so great seeing you man!" He opens his arms and runs to him, pulling him into a tight hug, sniffling a bit.

"Henry bro! Awh you still give the best hugs!" He laughs and hugs him tight.

"Right, it's nice to see you too, but important matters must be discussed."

Alfred blinks a few times. "Huh?"

After explaining the whole situation, Alfred crosses his arms and made a very confused face and groans as he scratches the top of his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing!

"So you mean to tell me. Our old assassination group is being targeted and hunted down? By every Divine Guard out there?!" He sighs heavily. "And some small special group is coming after me after seeing the flier for the play...oh man, this SOUNDS like a weird play or some weird story written by some wannabe novice writer..."

Ludwig nods. "So we have to figure out some sort of plan...if we don't then this could end in disaster."

"I hope it doesn't involve me not doing the play! Because we've been working on this for MONTHS! This is gonna be our best turn out yet! We just know it!" Alfred's eyes shine as he thinks about how big the crowd was gonna be tonight!

"Ah, the call to the stage is a call no one can ignore! once you've been bitten by the acting bug their is no going back!" Francis grins as he stands up and spreads his arms out, inhaling deeply. "I once had a passion for acting in my younger years~ I understand what you mean Alfred!" He smiles and grasps his hands into his.

Alfred sniffles and stares at Francis with big watery eyes. "Thanks bro...I knew someone would understand..." He smiles and pulls him into a hug, crying into his chest.

"Sssshhh...it's alright Alfred, let it out..." He smiles softly and rubs his back.

Mara, Daniel, and Ludwig sweatdrop as they watch the two idiots make a scene for no reason. Henry sniffles, blowing his nose into a tissue.

Mara sighs and rubs her temples. "Honestly, enough with the water works. I figured you wouldn't want to quit the play, so I have devised a plan that should work out."

Alfred blinks a few times and nods. "Sweet! That's why you're the leader!" He grins and claps his hands.

"Alright everyone! Gather in close and listen up." She motions for them to huddle and they all get together and she starts to whisper the plan to them.

~o~o~o~o~o~

"A play?" Monika raises a brow. "So Pyro is some sort of actor now? That's a bit...strange, but at least we know where he is..." She rubs her chin.

"Yay!" Feliciano throws his arms up in the air. "We get to see a play! I LOVE plays! This'll be great!" He smiles and bounces a bit, getting really excited about this.

Roderich sighs a bit. "So we're going to see this play, then take him out after? I suppose it's a good plan. I don't see why we can't take him out before."

"I can't help but agree with Roderich. Wouldn't it be much easier to take him out before?" Monika rubs her chin, closing her eyes in thought. "I am sure he wouldn't be suspecting it, so it would be quite easy."

Ivan chuckles lightly. "By now I am being sure that his friends have already alerted him. I am positive they're here. So he knows we are going to be looking for him. Why disrupt the play they have been working so hard on and rehearsing for months? It is not being fair to the innocents. So we will be letting him do the last performance before taking him out! But I will be needing the all of us to go. I am sure his companions will be there to protect him."

Allen snorts a bit an sets his hands behind his head. "Whatever, as long as we get the guy and since his little friends are here, just means we're in for a good fight!" He grins.

"So are plan is being there to watch the play. Just to make extra sure that he is being our guy. We shall all enjoy the play. Then once it is being over, we shall make our move! Take him out. And if his friends get in the way, we can be killing the many birds with one stone." He smiles. "Sound good to everyone?" He looks around.

"YES SIR!" They all said and salute.

"Good! Now we have a few hours before it will be starting, so for now, we can all talk strategy then relax." He nods.

"Hey, I'm just sayin, if Farkas is there, I call dibs! I wanna take him down myself!" He smirks an crosses his arms. "You guys can take on whoever, but I got the wolf-man."

"Well, if we're calling dibs on people, I for one call dibs on the other Dragon Tamer. He's strong, but I'm sure Artemis and I can take him." He grins and his dragon purrs softly and nods.

"Why are you calling dibs on who you will be fighting?" Monika raises a brow. "Though...I suppose it would be best to face off against one you'd be best able to beat...it does make for good strategy..."

Feliciano waves his arms around and grins. "Oh oh! If we're calling dibs, I really want to fight Pyro! I honestly don't think I can handle anyone else." He pokes his fingers together.

Ivan chuckles softly, sitting in a chair. "I think I shall be taking on the leader. We do seem to be the best to go up against one another." He smiles softly.

Roderich had his arms crossed and hums softly. "Honestly, I am not interested in any one of the current members...but I will help if I need to. Though considering their are six of us and only five of them, it's safe to say I won't be needed."

"I think we all know who YOU can't wait to stick that holy sword of yours in to." Allen laughs and leans back on the couch he was sitting on.

Monika nods. "Well, if that's the case, then I shall take on Francis...that should be interesting..." She mutters to herself and looks off to the side, humming a bit.

"Sweeet! Now that that's all figured out, where exactly are we going to do AFTER the play? I mean...we haven't really covered that...we have no clue what's gonna happen after it's over..."

Ivan chuckles. "Now do not worry, I am having a plan for that, so everyone gather close." He motions for them to get closer in a huddle and whispers to them his plan of attack.

Both sides have a secret plan on what to do after the play and their strategy. Soon enough, the time for the play rolls around and the theater house is packed inside. It was fairly large, able to seat more than a hundred people, so it was crowded. The Holy Defenders were sitting more in the middle.

Alfred was backstage, taking deep breathes and adjusting his eye-patch a bit. "Man...can't believe this'll be my last show..." He mutters and smiles softly. "Well...I have had some good times here...I'll miss my theater family, that's for sure..."

"Alright Alfred!" The director sniffles. "This is your last show! So...go out there...and do me proud! Like you always do! You'll be missed my boy." He hugs Alfred tight and sniffles. "We'll all miss you so much..."

He chuckles and nods. "Don't worry...I won't be gone forever! Promise...thanks for understanding. I knew you all would get it." He chuckles and hugs him back tight.

Daniel was in the ceiling and carefully removes one of the tiles and peers down. He sees the Holy Defenders. He growls softly and nods. He puts the tile back.

Henry was all the way in the back, wearing a coat and fedora hat. Argon pokes his head out from his coat and tilts his head. Henry gently pushes him back down. "Gotta stay hidden for now little guy." He whispers to him.

Mara was sitting on the roof of the building and inhales deeply. "I just hope everything goes according to plan..."

Ludwig was sitting towards the front, a bit nervous about the plan at the moment. He wasn't sure if it was going to work or not. He takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself.

"Don't worry mon ami~ I shall protect you if anything goes wrong~ Honhonhon~" Francis grins, sitting next to him in a hat and coat like Henry.

The lights dim and soon the play begins. Entering center stage was Alfred, dressed in his costume. He grins big and rubs his hands together.

"Today, I, the GREAT and powerful Edward Jones, shall become the most powerful man in the city!" He laughs evilly and rubs his hands together. "No one shall stop me~" He swishes around his cape before exiting the stage.

The play went on for an hour. It was good. It had romance, humor, drama, and suspense! A young man trying to stop his brother from taking over the small country and plunging it into war. It was pretty amazing and everyone in the audience loves it. When it was over, everyone stands up and starts to clap and cheer. The actors all stand side by side on the stage and bow as the curtain closes.

The Holy Defenders clap and cheer. It was a very nice play. But while everyone else begins to leave, they all sat back down in their seats. The Shadow Soldiers who were sitting in the audience sit back down as well. Once everyone else leaves the building, Mara takes action.

"Shadow cover!" She closes her eyes and soon a thick, black fog fills the city streets. The closer to the theater hall you were, the thicker the fog would get. It was meant to keep people away from it. But they would be able to find their way back home.

The Holy Defenders just sit there, silent. Henry and Francis both stand up and remove their disguises. Daniel drops down from the ceiling and lands in the aisle. He snorts and spits off to the side. Mara comes in through the door and holds her hands behind her back. The four walk down the row of seats just a row away from the six and look at them. The Holy Defenders stand up and look at them.

"You won't be getting our friend." Mara says.

"We will be seeing about that." Ivan chuckles.

When the curtains closed, Alfred runs back to his dressing room and pulls out the chest he took with him everywhere they performed. He smiles lightly and sighs at the memories. He opens it up and changes his clothes in a pair of black dress pants, a short sleeve white button up shirt, and black suspenders. He also takes out a pair of pair of finger-less black gloves. That has a symbol on the palm of them in the shape of a flame. He takes a deep breath and looks at himself in the mirror.

"It's been a long time, but I think I'm ready." He grins. "Pyro is back baby~"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Yep, they are about to fight. So I want everyone to prepare for a pretty awesome fight next chapter! I think it'll be pretty great. I worked pretty hard on it. So! Stay tuned! You'll even get to see why they call him Pyro~


	12. Chapter 12

Daniel grunts a bit and spits off to the side. "So...are we just gonna have a starin contest or are we gonna do somethin?" He glances over at Mara.

"It depends on who makes the first move." She says, holding her hands behind her back.

Allen groans and rocks back and forth in his spot, staring at Daniel, growling softly. "Noooow? Can I go nooooowwwww?" He grits his teeth a bit and whines, his hands twitching.

Ivan hums a bit and smirks a little as he looks at Mara. "Alright. Yes, you can go now."

Allen grins big. "Perfect." He growls softly, his eyes narrowing. He grows bigger and taller, fur sprouting out from his skin, his face elongating into a snout. His ears pointed and a tail grew out from his back side. He roars and and snorts softly. He had auburn fur over most of his body, white fur on the tip of his tail, on his stomach and his lower jaw, and black fur on his arms up to his elbows and his legs up to his knees.

Henry blinks a few times. "Whoooaaa...so he's a werefox? That's pretty cool..." He nods and crosses his arms. Argon squeaks and nods, resting on Henry's shoulder.

Daniel looks up at Allen who was taller than him by a couple of feet. "A fox huh...I knew the guy who owned that belt...you're not him." He bares his teeth and glares at him. "But if you wanna play this game, then we can play this game." Daniel growls and turns into his werewolf form an howls loudly.

Mara narrows her eyes.

Ivan narrows his as well.

"GO!" They both say at the exact same time.

Allen jumps on the back of the chair in front of him and growls before lunging forward and tackling Daniel and flipping him over the seats behind him. Daniel lets him tackle him and shoves him off, causing him to crash and break a few seats and yelps. Daniel howls loudly and snarls before lunging at him.

Francis laughs. "Honhonhon~ Looks like the two canines are having fun~ I suppose it's our turn, oui~?" He grins and winks at Monika. "But at least I get to see a pretty face~"

She glares at him and takes out her mace and lunges, swinging it, aiming for his head. "Shut up! You talk to much for your own good!"

Francis ducks under the swinging weapon. "Ooohhh~ quite the powerful swing madame~ But you will have to try much harder if you wish to hit moi~" He laughs and jumps up and over her hand, hands gripping the backrest of one of the seats behind her.

She spins around and was soon met with the bottom of his boots, sending her a whole row down, where she crashes and grits her teeth, her nose bleeding and her eyes watering a bit. "Tha-that...kick...was way to powerful...for someone like you..."

He chuckles and pushes himself up and lands back on the back part of the seat, standing on it. "Honhonhon~ The boots help~" He winks and smirks. "As a doctor, my hands are very important to me, so I prefer not to use them after all. So I use powerful kicks. The boots just help make sure it hurts~" He winks.

"We meet again Vlad~" Henry chuckles and takes out his war hammer.

"That's Vladimir to you, idiot." He smirks and takes out his flail.

Henry pouts. "Awh, you're so rude!" He swings the hammer at his head, but Vlas jumps up in the air, making him miss.

Vlad inhales deeply and spits out a stream of blue flames. Henry inhales and spits out a stream of orange flames. Both attacks collide and push against each other, but they were evenly matched. Argon flies off Henry's shoulder and lands on the stage.

Feliciano takes his opportunity and stands on the back of a seat and jumps towards the stage, figuring Alfred is somewhere in the back. Argon narrows his eyes and becomes surrounded in flames, growing to his bigger size. He was just big enough to fit on the stage, his tail hanging off on the side. Feliciano lands on the edge and was surprised. He jumps back, just dodging a stream of fire.

Henry laughs. "That's right Argon! Keep that stage guarded until it's time!" Henry looks back at his dragon.

"Keep your eyes on ME!" He swings his weapon aiming for Henry's head.

Henry ducks just in time and sticks his tongue out at him.

Roderich walks down the aisle and up to the stage, drawing his sword, standing next to Feliciano. "I suppose I can try to help get past this overgrown lizard."

Argon growls and roars. He didn't like being called a lizard and glares at him. He may not be able to move, but that doesn't mean he can't fight! He was a mighty dragon after all!

Mara and Ivan were still in a solid staring contest. They both draw their swords and glare at one another. The clash of metal against metal rings through the whole building.

"Like I said, you will not be getting him..." Mara glares at him through their crossing blades.

"I am having to take him. By order of the king. You all will regret this." He smirks, glaring back down at her.

Daniel grunts as he is thrown in the aisle, landing on his back. He gets up and shakes his head. He howls and grips a theater seat and rips it up from the ground. Once he sees Allen lunge at him, he swings it with all his might, sending the fox straight into the wall above the door entrance and exit. Allen grits his teeth, having made a dent in the wall. He pushes himself out, landing on his feet. He shakes his head and smirks.

"I heard you were strong~ But I never thought you were THIS strong~ You don't disappoint." He laughs and extends his retractable claws and licks his lips. "Like an actual fox, I have retractable claws~" He runs at him and starts slashing at him.

Daniel snorts. "I've been at this before you were even born kid." He dodges each swipe of his claws and clenches his fist and uppercuts him under the jaw, sending him flying up into the ceiling and his head goes straight through it. Daniel cracks his neck and his tail wags. "I'm on a whole other level. You can't beat me."

Allen sticks his claws into the ceiling and pushes himself out. He lands on all fours and smirks. He lunges and headbutts him in the gut, sending him flying back and hitting the wall next to the stage. He grits his teeth and shakes his head. "What was that old man?" He laughs and lunges at him.

Monika spins her mace around, generating electricity. "Thunder STRIKE!" She swings her weapon, sending a bolt of electricity towards Francis.

He narrows his eyes and jumps up in the air. "Ooohhh, playing with electricity is bad for you. I should know." He crosses his arms in an X formation while in the air, scalpels between his fingers. "I'm a DOCTOR!" He throws them at her.

She back-flips out of the way, landing on the back of a seat. "You may be a doctor, but you're an insane one that's for sure." She growls and narrows her eyes.

The scalpels dig into the chairs and floor. He lands on the back of a seat and tugs his hands back, bringing back the scalpels between his fingers. They were tied to very thin, hardly noticeable retractable strings. "Now I wouldn't say I'm insane. I just enjoy cutting open people is all." He pouts.

"And you don't think that makes you off your rocker?" She sighs heavily and shakes her head. "If I had the option, I would send you back to that asylum where you'd rot!" She lunges at him and swings her mace, bolts of electricity surrounding it.

Argon growls and blows out smoke from his nostrils. He inhales and blows out a stream of fire towards the two. Roderich holds up his sword, standing in front of Feliciano and blocking the fire.

"Thanks Roderich!" Feliciano smiles. When the flames stop, Feliciano jumps up in the air. He lifts up his shirt a bit, revealing various knives attached to his belt. He takes one out and throws it into Argon's eye.

Argron screeches and shakes his head around. He stands up and hisses, blood leaking out of his eye. He reaches up to try and take the knife out. Feliciano lands on the ground and pulls on a thin strong that was attached to the knife, making him hiss more and whine, slamming his head into the side of the wall.

Henry's eyes go wide as he turns around and looks at his friend. "ARGON! HANG IN THERE BUDDY!"

"Hey, keep your eyes on your me!" He swings his flail and whips it toward Henry, the chain extending and wrapping around Henry's neck twice. "Up we go~!" He laughs and swings his weapon up and Henry swings up in the air and slams down into the ground head first..

Henry groans a little bit, his vision seeing double. "Okay...! Don't worry Argon!" He pulls on the chain around his neck, trying to get lose. He blinks when he was raised up into the air once more and slams back into the ground. "In a minute...!"

Vlad laughs. "This is way to easy!" He swings the other man around, causing him to crash through seats. He swings him up in the air and begins to spin around, spinning Henry around in the air, making him dizzy and green in the face.. He releases his neck from his chain grasp, sending him flying straight into Francis who jumps into the air to avoid being electrocuted.

They were both sent crashing through the wall. Francis grits his teeth an chuckles a little bit. "Mon ami...please be more careful...that did hurt a bit..." He chuckles and then coughs up some blood.

Henry groans a bit. "Gee, Francis, I'll make sure to control myself when flying through the air!" He pouts and pushes himself out and falls to the ground and shakes his bleeding head. "Alright...I'm ready to go...!" He rubs his eyes, trying to focus and hold down the vomit that wants to come up.

Francis drops down next to him and chuckles lightly. "How about we help each other out, mon ami?" He glances over at Henry.

Henry blinks and nods. "Yeah, I think that sounds good."

Monika and Vladimir seem to have the same idea of working together as they stand next to each other ready to attack.

"HAHA! LISTEN TO MY TOTAL HERO VOICE GUYS!" Standing on the back of Argon was Alfred, grinning big and laughing. "Alright dudes! I think it's time we all calm down!"

Mara and Ivan cross blades once more and push one another back. Mara slides back towards the stage and glances back at Alfred who grins back at her.

Feliciano takes this as his chance and he reaches down to his belt to pull out a knife to throw at him. He was going to try to aim between his eyes for a quick and clean kill.

Alfred sees Feliciano trying to reach for something and grins. "Not so fast there dude." He snaps his fingers, setting off an explosion right in front of the knife thrower, making him yell in surprise and fly back slamming into Allen who Daniel shoves back just in time.

The fox yelps as he was hit and the two crash through a few seats and hit the wall, creating a hole in it. Allen whimpers, taking the brunt of it all. Feliciano whines a little bit and shakes his head, looking back at Allen and frowning.

"Allen! I'm sorry! Are you alright?!" He looks at him concerned.

Allen groans and rubs his head, shaking it a bit. He nods. "Yeah...I'm good...took me by surprise, but I'm good, don't worry." He snorts a bit and winces slightly.

Monika and Vladimir glance at one another. They both spin their weapons around, ready to strike. Henry glances over at Francis who grins at him and nods. Henry inhales deeply and releases a stream of fire from his mouth. The two dive out of the way of the flames. Monika grunts as she lands on the floor, right in front of Francis.

"Bonjour~!" He grins and takes out a needle. "Now this will hurt for a second~ But trust me, I'm a doctor~" He quickly injects her in the arm, making her grit her teeth and wince. He spins around another one and throws it like a dart, hitting Vladimir in the arm, making him cry out in surprise and flinch.

"You cheap BASTARD! What did you just inject us with?!" Monika growls and glares up at him, trying to push herself up, but having a hard time at the moment.

He winks and rubs his knuckles against his chest. "Just a mild numbing medicine~ You won't be able to move for awhile, so you're helpless at the moment, madame~" He chuckles lightly and bends down. He lifts up her chin with his finger. "But don't worry...it'll wear off." He winks.

Artemis crawls out from Vladimir's jacket and growls, glaring at Francis. Vladimir groans a little bit. "Hold up little guy. I don't want you getting hurt."

Henry grins and holds up his hand that Francis high fives. "Oh yeah! The old distract 'em and inject them tactic! Just like old times!" He laughs and gives a thumbs up.

Mara dodges a deadly slash from Ivan, causing him to cut a seat clean in half as if it were butter. She grips the handle with both hands and lunges forward, stabbing the blade into his side, making him wince and grit his teeth, red quickly seeping through the fabric. She jumps back and glances around.

"ALRIGHT NOW LUDWIG!" She quickly calls out while Ivan was distracted by his wound. Ludwig had made his way over to the lights that were on the stage and nods, pulling all the switches, turning off all the lights and everything was pitch black.

"Someone get the lights! Quick! Before they get away!" Ivan calls, hoping it wasn't to late. The lights were turned back on a few seconds later.

Roderich had flipped the switches back on and to their dismay, the Shadow Soldiers were gone. They managed to escape within the darkness. Ivan grits his teeth and clenches his fist.

"They managed to slip our grasp once again...is everyone being okay?" He glances around, seeing just how bad his team has been injured.

"Well! Besides being unable to feel much and not being able to move, Monika and I are good!" Vladimir calls over and chuckles lightly.

Feliciano nods. "Si! I'm alright!" He grins and waves his arms.

Allen rubs his slightly bleeding head, turning back to normal, he nods. "Yeah...I'm okay I guess...but I've been worse, so yeah! I'm good!" He grins.

Roderich sighs and sheathes his sword. "Ja, I'm alright."

He sighs in relief and nods. "Well, that's good. Alright! We may have lost this battle, but this war is FAR from being the over! Alright everyone!"

"YES SIR!" They all say at the same time.

On Argon's back everyone had made it out and were high up in the sky, flying away. Henry pouts a little bit as he was sitting near his neck and rubbing the back of it.

"I'm sorry big guy...you got hurt in the eye...don't worry, I will help ya get it healed as soon as we find a nice place to land." He smiles softly. Argon glances back at him with his good eye and nods.

"How is everyone doing?" Mara glances around to asess the injuries in the group.

Daniel grunts softly, holding his slightly bloody head. "Fine...I guess...bruised just about everywhere, but you know, whatever..." He grumbles and hisses as his back stings from the big bruise on it.

Henry chuckles and gives a thumbs up. "Well a bit bruised and sore, but I'm good!" He grins . "Argon is doing okay. Besides his eye, he's just fine!"

Francis chuckles. "I am doing marvelous~ I shall help everyone once we land~" He grins and winks, blowing a kiss to Mara.

She stares at him and was now very much tempted to push him off the dragon right now, but she restrained herself.

Alfred laughs loudly. "I'm cool dude! Man it's just so great to be gettin the gang back together! But I have one question...didn't Daniel have those like...HUGE battle axes on his back?"

Daniel groans and crosses his arms. "I use to, but they were stolen, okay?! So don't ask about it!" He growls and glares at him.

"Okay okay, sheesh, calm down dude!" He waves his hands around. "You're still just as grumpy though I see..." He pouts and crosses his arms.

Ludwig sighs a bit and crosses his arms. "Alright...we just need one more member...and that's, Diablo, correct?" He looks over at Mara.

She nods. "Right...though, I have a pretty good idea of where he is." She closes her eyes and rubs her chin. "He's not a very hard man to understand...I am positive he's where exactly I think he is. But first, let's find some place to rest. So we can regroup and those injured can heal."

"Right!" They all said at the same time.

Argon nods and continues, flying off into the night and up into the clouds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Some fighting there of course. Hope you all liked. But I have to tell you guys, the next few chapters are my favorite ones! Some interesting stuff happens and you get to meet some new people that I KNOW you guys will probably love~


	13. Chapter 13

The Shadow Soldiers found a cave to rest in for the rest of the night. Henry was currently looking over Argon's injured eye and looks a bit sad.

"I'm sorry buddy...you're eye is all messed up, but don't worry! I'll have it all patched up for ya!" He grins and rubs his head making the dragon purr softly. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small sack and opens it. He puts his pinky finger in, scooping up some green healing ointment and rubs it over his inured eye. "Theeeere ya go buddy. You'll feel better soon." He smiles.

"Henry, what is that stuff...?" Ludwig asks, walking over to him and sitting down next to him.

"Oh! It's this special healing stuff I make for Argon just in case of serious injuries. So his eye should be good as new in a matter of minutes!"

He nods slowly. "Wow...that is amazing. Well I'm glad he won't be blind in that eye forever. I was worried when he got stabbed there and all..." He rubs the back of his head.

Henry grins and gives a thumbs up. "Awh~ I'm glad you care so much about him!" He chuckles and Argon squeaks a bit and swishes his tail back and forth, smiling up at Ludwig.

He chuckles a bit. "Ah...well of course!"

Daniel hisses and groans as Francis wraps a bandage around his arm. "Geeze Doc, can you be a little more gentle? I'm still alive ya know."

Francis pokes his nose. "Oh shush. You're being a big baby. I'm not even tying it that tight." He rolls his eyes and kisses his cheek. "There. That feel better?" He grins and winks.

He blinks and groans, lightly pushing him away. "Oh shut it will ya...go on and go check on everyone else why don't ya." He groans a little bit and rubs the back of his head. His cheeks become a soft pink as he blushes lightly.

Alfred sighs happily and grins. "Man, it's so good to be back in action! Being an actor is cool and all, but I seriously missed all you guys! I mean, ten years? It's been waaaay to long!" He laughs loudly. "What's everyone been up to?"

"Well...I was a bar owner. Owned a bar in a small town. Called it the Dragon's Den! That's where I met Ludwig." He chuckles lightly. "It was really nice and I enjoyed my time there. It was pretty popular too. Not to mention the best drinks in town!"

Daniel grunts softly. "I was in Dunlin Prison. It sucked." He crosses his arms.

Francis grins and rubs his chin. "Well...I was living in a nice large town, relaxing, meeting plenty of women~ Honhonhon~ You know. Living a regular life of a bachelor. But then I was put in an insane asylum for six months before being rescued and the like. But otherwise it was nice and relaxing~" He smiles.

"As for me, I've been living a simple life in a nice quite town. Reading, cooking, cleaning, etc etc. Just...enjoying the 'normal' life as I'm sure we all wish we had all those years ago." Mara crosses her arms and looks up in thought.

Alfred chuckles lightly and looks up. "Yeah...a normal life...you know us being together makes me think back to the day when I ended up meeting you Mara." He grins big. "I was an ex-soldier at the time, living on the streets...the only thing to my name was a pair of special gloves my commanding officer gave me before he died..." He held up his hands, looking at the gloves.

Ludwig perks up. He almost forgot to ask Alfred how he joined! He listened very closely.

~o~o~o~o~o~

_It was a a cloudy day in the city and it seems like it was about to rain. Sitting in an alley, warming his hands from a fire with some broken pieces of wood he found was Alfred. He sighs softly, looking up at the cloudy sky._

_"I hope it doesn't rain..." He was wearing tattered, dirty, clothes and his face had patches of dirt on it. He was shivering a little bit and rubs his arms. "Damn it...talk about the heroes welcome...how did I even end up like this...?" He sighs softly and shakes his head. He flinches as a rain drop hits his nose. "Oh no..." It soon starts to rain and his fire goes out. He sighs and leans against a trash can. "Great...another night sleeping in the rain..." He closes his eyes. He was starting to get use to the life of a homeless war hero. He'd spend the day walking around and asking people for money or food. Then spend the night trying to find someplace to sleep. Usually it was some alley. Suddenly he couldn't feel the rain hitting him anymore. He slowly opens his eyes. Maybe it stopped raining? No...someone was holding something over his head. "What the...?"  
_

_Holding an umbrella over his head was Mara. She stares at him. "Alfred F. Jones. A highly skilled soldier and only remaining member of your squadron during the Cydron Infiltration mission."_

_Alfred blinks a few times and stares up at her and nods slowly. "Well uh...yeah, that's me. But who are you, lady? Why do you know so much about me exactly?" He tilts his head a bit._

_She holds out her hand. "If you come with me, I'll treat you to a nice hot meal and somewhere warm to sleep. All will be explained then."_

_He quickly takes her hand and grins. "Well I can't pass up a free hot meal and a nice warm bed now can I?" He laughs and stands up. "So, what's your name?"_

_She looks up at him, holding the umbrella above them both. "You can call me Mara." She nods and leads him to a tavern where she lets Alfred order as much as he wants._

_Alfred takes advantage of this, ordering about two of everything and hungrily digging in. Plates started to pile up and people starting to stare. Mara just sat there calmly, drinking a nice warm cup of cocoa. She let Alfred get his fill. She can tell he's been out on the streets for awhile and he needs a really good meal. Once he got his fill he burps. He sets the last of the plates down and rubs his round tummy._

_"Oh man...that's the best meal I've had in months..." He smiles softly and sighs happily. "So...how do you know me exactly?" He takes a sip of his drink. He was all ears._

_She sets down her mug. "Well...I have been tasked with forming an elite group of assassins by the king. I've been on the lookout for candidates I'd find worthy. I've come across your profile looking through a few documents and I learned a few things. Like for instance, those gloves you wear were once your commanding officer's. But he died a few weeks into your mission."_

_Alfred chuckles and looks at the gloves and nods, smiling fondly. "Yeah...the old guy taught me how to use these before he died...he trusted me with these, so I had to take care of 'em and use 'em for what I thought was right." He clenched his fists. "But now I just use 'em to light fires in the alley." He sighs. "I really don't deserve these...I should probably give them back to the army...but yet, I can't seem to let them so." He chuckles a bit. "Pretty pathetic, right?"  
_

_"Well...with your military background and special abilities with those gloves, I will ask you this. Are you willing to join the new team I am forming? You are a prime candidate and you wouldn't have to live on the streets anymore. You are free to decline if you wish."_

_Alfred looks up in thought. "A team of assassins, huh...well, I can't lie and say I'm not interested...I mean I don't have much else goin for me to be honest..." He grins a bit. "And I do miss the thrill of battle not to mention protecting my home...you know what? Sure! I don't see why not." He stands up and salutes. "Alfred F. Jones reporting for duty ma'am! I would be honored to join this team and serving my kingdom in anyway I can!"  
_

_She nods and stands up. "I am glad to hear that." She holds out her hand. "Welcome aboard Jones."_

_He smiles and takes her hand into his in a nice firm handshake. "You can just call me Alfred."_

_~o~o~o~o~o~_

He chuckles lightly. "Man to think that was over ten years ago..." He smiles fondly. "But now we're back together! We just need one more of our friends! So Mara, where exactly is old Diablo? You said you had an idea of where he was, right?"

She nods. "Correct. I have suspicions that he's probably back where I encountered him." She glances around at the prying eyes of the group. "It was deep in a forest. He lived in an old abandoned mansion up on the hill..."

Henry chuckles and rubs the back of his head. "Of course he did. That sounds about right for him."

"Dude did love those creepy desolate places that were probably haunted." Alfred taps his chin, chuckling lightly. "I'm sure you're right!"

"Oui, he is quite the creepy man if I so say so myself." Francis chuckles and shakes his head. "He always loved old things."

Daniel yawns and scratches his stomach. "Great, we know where to look. Now we just have to get there..." He lies down and closes his eyes. "I'm going to bed..."

Ludwig nods and looks out the mouth of the cave. "It is getting late...I think we should all get some rest and prepare for tomorrow."

"Right. It's going to be about a two or three day trip, even on Argon. So everyone rest up and be prepared to head out early. We have to find him before the others do!"

"Right!" They all said at the same time. Everyone got as comfy as they could in the cave and soon drifted off to sleep.

~o~o~o~o~

Ivan sighs softly, walking outside of the Inn they were all sleeping at. He sits himself on the ground, fingers knitting themselves together as he hums, thinking about what their next move should be.

"Captain?" Feliciano pokes his head out the door. "Are you alright...?" He walks outside and sits down next to him.

He smiles softly and nods. "Da, I'm fine. I'm just trying to be thinking of our next move...I don't know where to start looking for the final member of that cursed group...and we haven't managed to stop them one bit as of yet..."

Feliciano smiles and pats his shoulder. "Don't worry Ivan! You may be at a loss now, but just remember, you have teammates who are here to help you out! You can always come to us if you need help!"

He chuckles softly and smiles lightly. "Friends..."

"Si! We're not just a group, we're all friends! We may have been traveling together a short time, but we've all grown so close!" He smiles big. "I just know we will grow closer too! We're all in this together!"

He smiles softly and nods. "You are being right Feliciano. I appreciate this. I'm sure we can figure something out in the morning. For now let's go get some sleep, da?"

He grins and nods. "Si! You need your sleep! We all do! So come on!" He smiles and grabs his arm and tries to pull him along.

Ivan smiles softly and chuckles. "I am coming, I am coming." He follows behind him, back inside.

~The Next Morning~

Mara and company were currently riding on the back of Argon through the air. Daniel was currently still asleep and mumbling to himself as he turns over on the dragon. Henry was sitting near the front and hums, rubbing Argon's neck gently. Francis was lying on his back, enjoying the view. Alfred yawns and rubs his eyes, trying to stay awake. Mara was sitting cross legged and cross armed, looking down below at the scenery.

"Er, Mara? May I ask you something?" Ludwig looks over at Mara who looks back at him and nods. "Well, out of curiosity, what is this Diablo like?" He tilts his head a bit.

She hums and rubs her chin. "Well...he's a bit of a troublemaker...not to mention overly confident. But he's a good man deep down despite what he might say. He cares about his friends. He's very strong and powerful as well."

He nods. "Then once we get him, we shall have all of the Shadow Soldiers together and we can go from there." Ludwig had a determined look in his eyes as he clenches his fist.

"Yeah! We're gonna be the heroes!" Alfred jumps up and laughs. "Man I've always played the villain in the place, but now I can take my rightful place as the hero!"

"Mon ami, I do hope you realize everyone else will see you as a villain, but I'm glad you're happy." Francis chuckles lightly and smiles. "But I just hope we don't get captured before we even GET Diablo."

Daniel snorts a bit and rolls his eyes. "I doubt we're gonna let ourselves be captured by someone. We're not amateurs. What? Did you lose your touch over these past ten years, Francis?"

He raises a brow and smiles. "Of course not mon ami~ But you're the oldest out of everyone here, are you sure you're not going to break a hip~? Honhonhon~"

Daniel growls softly. "Shut up. I'm not THAT old! I'm not even 50 yet! I've only grown stronger so up yours! I may have been in prison for ten years, but I'm still strong!"

"Okay guys, no need to fight! We're all friends here!" Henry walks over, smiling softly. "We're all still strong and vibrant! So no need to worry! Though those guys who keep following us around and stuff ARE strong, so I see why Francis is worried. But as long as we have each other, I know we'll be fine!"

"Henry dude is right! We're a team! So we can take down anyone as long as we work together and stay strong! Just like in the old times! Their wasn't an enemy we couldn't defeat!"

Daniel rubs his head. "Yeah yeah. I get it. I know we're a team and we work together and junk." He lies back down and closes his eyes. "Tell me when we land for food." He yawns and stretches his arms a bit, going back to sleep, snoring softly.

Francis shrugs and sighs. "He's out like a light just that quick. He hasn't changed much if at all if you ask me." He shakes his head and chuckles.

"Well, have any of us changed?" Alfred scratches the top of his head and looks up in thought, humming softly. He chuckles lightly. "To be honest, I don't even mind if he hasn't. He's still a good guy deep down behind that rough and hairy exterior."

Ludwig hums softly, watching the three. "You know, you're all so close and friendly with one another. It's really quite nice to see." He smiles softly and nods.

"Of course! We've been through a lot together! Now we're back again and ready to take down evil!" Henry grins big and rubs his hands together.

"Now you're starting to sound like Alfred. We aren't superheroes. None of us can fly." Francis points out and chuckles.

"Well YOU guys can't fly! But with Argon here I can fly perfectly well!" He grins and puffs out his chest. "But anyways we may not be superheroes, but we're heroes!"

"Even if no one thinks we are, we know the truth!" Alfred pipes up and laughs, putting his arm over Henry's shoulder. "I'm glad someone agrees!"

Francis sighs and shakes his head. "Honestly, you two haven't matured even a little bit." He chuckles lightly and smiles. "But, I must admit it's actually quite nice~"

Mara looks at the group and let's out a soft sigh. "They're a lively and unique bunch. But they're all reliable and care for one another. I am glad to see everyone in high spirits."

Ludwig nods slowly. "Right...Though sometimes it's still hard to believe that they were skilled assassins, but I've seen their skills. But still..."

"Yes, upon first look, we don't seem like much. But I've always liked that for our advantage. Never judge a book by its cover. That's how the old saying goes."

He nods in understanding. "I understand. I am glad to have met you all. But now we must get the last member and figure out what to do next." He nods, looking determined.

"Of course." She stands up and walks over to the front of Argon and climbs up his neck to stand on his head. He didn't mind or really notice. She hums as she looks forward and points. "Coming up should be a small town. We shall land there and get something to eat." Argon glances up at and gives a soft nod in understanding.

"YEAH!" Henry and Alfred throw their hands up at the thought of food, laughing loudly and happily.

Argon heads toward the small town where they could get something to eat. Everyone starving and ready to chow down!


	14. Chapter 14

They arrive in the town and found some place to eat. All seems to be going well and no signs of any Divine Guards anywhere. They all enjoy their meal and were pretty content.

Daniel sniffs the air and tilts his head a bit and grunts softly. "Something smells off..." He mumbles softly and drums his fingers over the table.

"What? You're being a little dramatic aren't ya Daniel?" Alfred chuckles lightly. "There is nothing wrong with this town what so ever."

"Yeah Daniel don't be so paranoid. We have literally not drawn any attention to ourselves here. We got nothing to worry about!" Henry nods and gives a thumbs up.

"That's what worries me you idiots! The fact that we haven't gotten any attention! I mean look at our group! We look like a bunch of weirdos!" He whisper yells. "We haven't got ONE look from anyone. Now isn't that cause for SOME concern?"

Ludwig rubs his chin and looks down. "Well...honestly, I have to admit...he does have a point...we aren't exactly a normal looking group."

"Maybe it would be best if we go now. We don't want to push our luck." Mara says.

"Fiiiiine...but you're all being paranoid." Alfred rolls his eyes.

Francis takes a sip of his wine before downing the rest of it. "Right. Let's go."

But before they could even stand up, all the people in the restaurant stand up and surround them on all sides. Each one of them holds a gun up to the group, ready to shoot. They slowly put up their hands and glance around at them.

"What did I tell ya?" Daniel groans a little bit. "Now we're about to die."

Henry gulps a bit and laughs nervously. "I uh...well uh...what exactly is going on here...? Did we do something wrong or?"

"Shut up! You're all under arrest under the direct order from a Divine Guard!" One man says.

Alfred sweat drops. "Oh boy...so a Divine Guard had a bunch of townsfolk keep us hostage in a restaurant? That's kinds sad isn't it?"

"Oui." Francis agrees.

"Yep." Henry nods.

"Uh huh." Daniel grunts.

"Ja." Ludwig sighs.

"Correct." Mara says.

"Shut up! We're just trying to protect our town!" Another man says, holding his gun close to Alfred's face.

"Yeah! We don't need villains like you roaming around the country!" Another yells, growling and glaring at Daniel.

"So...Mara, what exactly are we suppose to do?" Henry glances at her. Argon crawls on his shoulder and growls.

"Well...I suppose we can't hurt them. They are innocents and all...Daniel? Do you think you can make a distraction?"

He snorts and grins. "Of course."

"Alfred?" She glances over at the pyro.

"Dude, I've been waiting for you to give me that look! You get 'em distracted and I'll clear a path." He laughs loudly.

Daniel slowly stands up and cracks his knuckles. "Yeah, yeah. I get it."

"Hey! Sit back down!" One man yells, cocking his gun.

He snorts and grips the edge of the table. "Get ready Pyro." He flips the table.

This caught the men by surprise and were ready to shoot. Alfred smirks and snaps his fingers. Suddenly the table explodes, splintered wood, glass, and smoke fill the air. They villagers all stumble around and start yelling. The group made it outside but only made it a few feet out the door before being surrounded once more by more people with guns.

"Oh come on!" Henry groans. "I'm getting tired of people with guns pointing at us! And it's only the second time today!" He pouts a little bit. "So anyone else really wanna meet the guy who set this up?"

Alfred nods and gulps a bit. "Yeah, I sure do...but I hope we don't get shot first..." He looks at the guns wearily.

"Alright! I can take it from here, thanks everyone! You've done your country proud!" A chipper voice calls from the back of the group. When some of the people moved aside they saw a man walking up to them. He has short, wild blonde hair and blue eyes. His black eyebrows twitched a bit. He grins big and laughs. "Hello Shadow Soldiers! Prepare to meet your end!" The man had a large axe on his back and wore a long blue coat that reaches his knees, black pants, and boots. His white shirt visible under the top part of his jacket jacket.

"Whoooaaa! His hair looks so coooool!" Henry points at his hair with big eyes full of amazement.

"Mon ami...please don't tell me that's the first thing you notice..." Francis sighs a bit. "But we should be more concerned that a Divine Guard is here to try and kill us."

"He's only one guy. I'm sure we can take him down no problem. I mean he may be a Divine Guard and all, but we out number him." Daniel says, crossing his arms.

He laughs loudly and crosses his arms. "Now what makes you think I'm here alone? I knew I wouldn't be able to take you on alone! I'm apart of a strong team within the Divine Guards! We're called, The Elimination Squad! As the name suggest, we eliminate any threat to the kingdom and you guys fit that description!"

"Elimination Squad...?" Henry tilts his head a bit. "I think I've heard of them once...there are five in all...the leader is said to be a quiet, mysterious, yet strong type of guy...so, you're not the leader."

"Correct! My name is Matthias! I'm second in command!" He crosses his arms. "We each are in charge of taking one of you down!" He grins big. "We can strike at anytime too!"

Suddenly the crowd around them thins out and the people around them seem to be making their getaway. Daniel blinks a few times as he heard something. Well he felt like he heard something. He looks down the street and saw a cloud of dust slowly getting closer. He starts to squint, trying to make out what it was. "What the..." Before he knew what hit him, a large man rams into him, sending him flying and crashing into an empty house with a loud crash. The Shadow Soldiers plus Ludwig all look in surprise at the hole in the house.

"Daniel!" Alfred calls out. "Are you okay dude!?"

Matthias laughs loudly. "Wow Ber! That sure was awesome! You sent him flying! Good job! But I don't think you killed him." He comments, rubbing his chin.

The man standing there was a little shorter than Daniel. He had short light blonde hair with eyes that could be classified as a seafoam green. He adjusts the square frame glasses on his face. He was a very muscular man and it was obvious since he wasn't wearing a shirt. He wore a pair of navy blue pants and a pair of black boots. He also has a belt with a silver buckle and a picture of an Elk engraved in it. "Hm. I'm aware." His voice was deep. He runs into the building to go finish him off

"Whoa...talk about tall, dark, and intimidating." Henry chuckles lightly.

"Well yes. He's a very sweet guy though!" A new voice said, standing next to Henry. This man had short blonde hair and violet eyes. He was shorter than Henry was and smiles brightly at him. He was wearing a light blue poncho with a hood, a short sleeved white undershirt, and light blue pants. On his hands were black leather gloves and a rifle can be seen strapped to his back. "Hello! My name is Tino! Nice to meet you!" He waves.

Henry blinks a few times. "Er...wait, huh? Hi...?" He tilts his head a bit. Argon growls and glares at the other man and hisses. He climbs on Henry's head and spreads out his wings, trying to look intimidating.

He was practically beaming and seems really friendly for someone in 'The Elimination Squad' but looks can be deceiving. "I have an animal companion too! Her name is Hana. I'm sure she'd love to meet you!" He sets his index and middle finger in his mouth and whistles loudly. Suddenly a loud howl erupts from the distance.

"Uh oh...this isn't gonna be good." Henry whines and groans. Argon climbs down to his shoulder and hangs on tight. Henry slowly looks to his left to see a very large and vicious white wolf coming straight for him. "OKAY SEE YOU GUYS LATER!" Henry yells and makes a run for it. "BAD DOG BAD DOG!"

Tino chuckles and jumps up on his wolf when she was close enough. "COME ON HANA! LET'S GO GET THEM!"

"Dude...that was a HUGE dog...I hope Henry will be okay." Alfred scratches the top of his head.

"Er...he does have a dragon, so I'm sure he'll be fine..." Ludwig adds and crosses his arms.

"I think you should be more worried about yourself!" Matthias grins swinging his axe at Alfred, ready to chop off his head.

Alfred's eyes go wide as he leans back, barely avoiding the sharp blade. "Whoa dude! This isn't fair! But fine if you wanna play this game!" He snaps his fingers, causing an explosion between the two of them and sending Matthias back into the eating establishment. "Okay I'll take care of him I guess!" He runs back inside.

Francis blinks a few times. "Now...three of us left...though they just want us...I suggest you go hide somewhere safe Ludwig." Francis smiles back at him.

Ludwig blinks and shakes his head. "I can't do that! I want to try and help someone! I will feel like a burden otherwise!" He clenches his fists.

"It's for the best at the moment. You don't need to be getting hurt. We can handle them, I promise, now go hide for now." She looks back at the young man.

He sighs heavily and nods, looking around and going inside someone's house. Lucky for him the door was unlocked. He watches from the window, peeking out from the window.

Francis suddenly smirks and back flips up in the air and lands a few feet away from where he was standing. An arrow imbeds itsrlf in the ground a second after. "Honhon~ Well well well~ Looks like I have someone to play with, oui~?" He smirks. "I'll see you around Mara~" He laughs and jumps up to the roofs. "Bonjour~" He says as he lands on the roof his arrow friend was on.

On the roof holding a bow and arrow, looking at the man with wide eyes was a boy, about 18 in age. He had on a dark brown hood with a cape. It was hard to see his face but he had violet eyes and could see his hair was white. He had on a white button up shirt and dark brown pants. He sports black gloves as well and had a carrier on his back to hold his arrows. He growls and glares at the man. "Will you hold still already?! You're making this a lot harder than it needs to be!" He takes out another arrow and aims it at him.

Francis chuckles lightly and smirks. "Oh come now, do you honestly think a few simple arrows will be enough to take down moi~?"

"No, but these aren't simple arrows. They're special magic arrows, idiot." He fires it, the tip catching fire and soon engulfing it in a blazing inferno.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Mara crosses her arms. "So I take it I have to fight the leader. It makes sense. Now come on out." She glances behind her.

"You are very observant." A voice says behind her. Appearing out of seemingly no where a young man stands. His navy blue eyes staring into her grey ones. "My name is Lukas and I'm the leader of this squad." He wore a cloak around himself to cover everything below his neck.

"My name is Mara. I am the leader of the Shadow Soldiers..." She holds out her hand and her sword forms in it. She grips it and narrows her eyes a bit. "I suppose you are here to kill me, correct?"

He nods. "Yes. Plain and simple. None of you are going to make it out of here alive. I can promise you that." He throws off his cloak revealing his short sleeved shirt, black gloves and navy blue pants. Around his waist were two long knives he pulls out and twirls around. "Your journey ends here."

~o~o~o~o~o~

Daniel groans and shakes his head. He was lying on what use to be a chair and coughs out a little bit of blood. "Damn it...that was a low blow...I wasn't even ready..." He seems to have crashed into the dining area. He stands up and growls.

The man was standing in front of the hole. "The name's Berwald."

"Right...and mine's Daniel..." He dusts himself off. He raises a brow when he sees his belt and groans a bit. "I take it you're like me, huh? A Shifter? Great. Always fun fighting people like me. Though, you're a herbivore and I'm a carnivore. This isn't gonna end well for ya." He snorts and cracks his knuckles. "Good news for me though."

He stares at the wolf-man and motions for him to charge. Daniel snorts and happily does so, running at him and aiming a fist at his face. Berwald moves his head a bit letting the fist fly past him. He grips his arm and swings him to the ground and pins him down, twisting his arm behind his back.

Daniel grits his teeth and growls. "Damn it! Hey come on! Get off me already!" He looks around and grabs a piece of broken wood and throws it at him, making him grunt and let go. Daniel scrambles away and groans, rolling his shoulders. "Okay, so you're a lot better than I thought you'd be..." The blades on his gauntlets extend. He rushes at him, starting to swipe at him.

Berwald dodges each swipe of the claws with ease and cold calculating eyes. He grips both his wrists and pulls him toward him and slams his forehead against his face then kicks his chest, letting go. Daniel falls back and hit the ground. He groans and sits up, wiping the blood from his nose and glares at him. This was going to be a lot tougher than he thought.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Henry wipes the sweat from his forehead and stops near the end of the town and pants heavily, setting his hands on his knees. "Oh man...that...was close...I think...I finally...lost him!" He laughs and Argon climbs on the top of his head and growls. "Oh no...they caught up that quick...?"

The two arrived. Henry now got a good look at the large canine. She was a large white wolf, standing a little over ten feet tall. Tino was happily sitting on her back. "Meet Hana! She's my loyal partner." He grins and rubs her head. "She's super smart, strong, and one of my best friends. We're going to take you both out now!" He smiles.

Henry chuckles lightly. "Well you may THINK that, but I have a dragon. I doubt some overgrown dog and her trainer can take us down!" Argon hisses and jumps into the air, enveloped in fire. He grew into his large size and Henry jumps on his back. "So bring it on dog boy!"

~o~o~o~o~o~

Alfred ducks under the large axe blade that got stuck in the wall. "Whoa! That thing sure looks heavy! It's amazing you can carry it." He chuckles and runs over to the other side of the room. "You must be a super strong guy!"

"Well, actually this axe feels as light as a stick to me! It's enchanted so only I can wield it with such ease~" He grins. "Its blade also never dulls no matter how often I use it! This baby can cut through almost anything! So getting hit would mean the end for you, pal." He smirks and throws his axe at him, the weapon spinning in the air.

Alfred smirks and snaps his fingers, causing an explosion in front of the axe and sending it back at the other man at twice the speed. He watched as the eyes on Mathias' face go wide and jumps out of the way of his weapon. One of the blades stabs into the ground where he was just standing. Alfred laughs loudly and crosses his arms. "Dude, one of my friends use to use two battle axes and would sometimes throw them at me like that. You're gonna have to try way harder than that."

~o~o~o~o~o~

Francis was jumping left and right, dodging arrow after arrow. He was quite nimble on his feet. He chuckles and winks at his opponent. "You know, I never did get your name~ My name is Francis Bonnefoy~" He bows and grins.

The boy narrows his eyes and growls. "My name is Emil...though you're about to die soon, so knowing my name won't change anything!" He gets another arrow ready and closes one eye. "These arrows are all imbued with magic so they all do various things. And if they fail to hit anything, they'll disappear and reappear in my holder once again. But if I do hit my mark, they won't disappear until it's pulled out. So don't count on me running out."

Francis chuckles lightly and blows him a kiss. "Now don't worry~ It wouldn't be very much fun if you up and ran out mere minutes into this fight! But don't count me out just yet. I am a doctor after all~ Honhonhon~" He now had scalpels between his fingers and he jumps in the air, throwing them at him. He watches as Emil quickly rolls to the side, nearly falling off the roof. Francis lands on the roof and retracts his scalpels back between his fingers. "And you don't have to worry about me losing any of my utensils~"

~o~o~o~o~o~

"I honestly hope you don't think my team will be taken down do easily. We are trained assassins and all. Even if it has been ten years none of us has lost our step." Mara stares at the other man who was staring back.

"And I also hope you don't think my team will be defeated so easily as I've been training for years, honing our skills. So don't underestimate our abilities or you'll end up dead. We're not called The Elimination Squad for nothing."

Two teams going up against each other in a fight for their lives. This wasn't going to be easy for either side and they were all aware of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah~ My favorite little arc! I had a TON of fun writing this! Shadow Soldiers vs The Elimination Squad! Which are the Nordics xD So hope you all enjoy all these fights I worked hard on.
> 
> Matthias: Denmark  
> Tino: Finland  
> Berwald: Sweden  
> Emil: Iceland  
> Lukas: Norway


End file.
